"In the past, Pakistan had been receiving its clandestine missile consignments from North Korea bysea. Since the appointment of Mr. Richard Armitage as Deputy Secretary of State in the current BushAdministration, Pakistan and North Korea have been worried because in a paper on US policy options towardsNorth Korea submitted to the US House of Representatives on March 4,1999, Mr. Armitage had, inter alia,recommended as follows: "Should diplomacy fail, the United States would have to consider two alternativecourses, neither of which is attractive. One is to live with and deter a nuclear North Korea armed withdelivery systems, with all its implications for the region. The other is preemption, with the attendantuncertainties. Strengthened deterrence and containment. This would involve a more ready and robustposture, including a willingness to interdict North Korean missile exports on the high seas. Our posturein the wake of a failure of diplomacy would position the United States and its allies to enforce 'red lines.'Preemption. We recognize the dangers and difficulties associated with this option. To beconsidered, any such initiative must be based on precise knowledge of facilities, assessment of probablesuccess, and clear understanding with our allies of the risks."