朝鲜此次挑选发射导弹的时机绝佳

One benefactor of the crisis in Ukraine appears to be North Korea.

乌克兰危机的一个受益者看来是朝鲜。

U.S. officials confirmed Monday that North Korea's firing of two Scud missiles earlier the same day was a breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions banning ballistic missile launches, as was the launch of four other missiles last Thursday.

美国官员周一证实，朝鲜在周一早些时候发射了两枚飞毛腿(Scud)导弹，违反了联合国安理会关于禁止其发射弹道导弹的决议，朝鲜在上周四也发射了四枚其他类型的导弹。

The initial evaluation by the Pentagon had been that there was no sanctions break.

美国国防部的最初评估是，朝鲜没有违反决议。

'It's a short-range Scud missile which they are allowed to test. Nevertheless, we always call on the North Koreans to refrain from provocative action,' Col. Steve Warren, the Pentagon spokesman, said Thursday after the first firing.

美国国防部发言人沃伦(Steve Warren)在上周四朝鲜首次发射导弹后表示，这种短程飞毛腿导弹允许朝鲜试射，不过美国一直呼吁朝鲜避免采取挑 行动。

A day later, Mr. Warren corrected himself and noted that U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea 'from launching any ballistic missile, and this includes any Scud missile,' he said.

一天后沃伦更正了自己的说法，他指出，联合国安理会决议禁止朝鲜发射任何弹道导弹，包括所有飞毛腿导弹。

Monday, State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki echoed Mr. Warren's comments after the launch of the latest two missiles, believed to be Scud-C weapons that can travel around 500 kilometers (310 miles).

周一在朝鲜又发射两枚导弹之后，美国国务院发言人普萨基(Jen Psaki)呼应了沃伦的说法。最新发射的导弹据信为飞毛腿C，射程约500公里(310英里)。

'We urge North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments, including by abiding with the United States -- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718, 1874 and 2094,' she said at a regular briefing in Washington, D.C.

她在华盛顿举行的例行发布会上表示，美方敦促朝鲜避免采取加剧紧张局势的挑 性举动，专注履行国际义务和承诺，包括履行联合国安理会1718号、1874号和2094号决议。

South Korean officials have also demanded North Korea cease missile launches and said they would discuss with other countries how to handle the sanctions violations. But the prospect of any U.N. action in response appears unlikely.

韩国官员也要求朝鲜停止导弹发射，并表示，将与其他国家讨论如何处理朝鲜违反决议的行为。但是联合国看来不太可能对此采取任何措施。

Firstly, the U.S. and North Korea's neighbors are primarily concerned with Pyongyang's long-range ballistic missiles, such as the one it successfully launched in December 2012. Some Scuds can reach all of South Korea and part of Japan, but with the late 2012 launch, North Korea showed it can potentially threaten the west coast of the U.S.

首先，美国和朝鲜的邻国主要关心朝鲜的远程弹道导弹，比如2012年12月份成功发射的那种导弹。一些飞毛腿导弹能够覆盖韩国全境和日本部分地方，但是2012年底发射的导弹，显示出朝鲜有潜力威胁美国西海岸地区。

Putting a nuclear weapon on a Scud would also require miniaturization beyond that of the size of a weapon on a long-range missile, which experts believe North Korea hasn't achieved yet.

在飞毛腿导弹上加载核武器也要求搭载在远程导弹上的核弹头小型化，专家们相信，朝鲜还做不到这一点。

Then there's the timing of the Scud tests over the last few days. The crisis in Ukraine is clearly dominating global foreign policy attention to the extent that even if North Korea fires off more Scuds it's hard to see any momentum building internationally for punitive action in response.

其次是过去几天试射导弹的时机问题。乌克兰危机显然是全球外交政策关注的焦点，即使朝鲜发射更多飞毛腿导弹，也难以推动国际力量对其采取惩罚性措施。

Don't be surprised if North Korea takes advantage of that with more missile launches.

如果朝鲜利用这个时机发射更多导弹，也不要感到惊讶。