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26-03-09 North Korea Readies Rocket Launch

North Korea has mounted a rocket on a launchpad on its northeast coast,U.S. officials said,putting Pyongyang well on track for a launch the U.S. and South Korea warned Thursday would be a major provocation with serious consequences.Pyongyang has asserted its right to develop its space program,but regional powers suspect the North will use the launch to test the delivery technology for a long-range missile capable of striking Alaska.South Korean and U.S. officials have warned Pyongyang they will take the matter to the U.N. Security Council if the launch goes ahead.They say a 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution bans North Korean from engaging in any ballistic activity,including launching both satellites and missiles.North Korea says it will take "strong steps" if the U.N. Security Council criticizes its upcoming rocket launch.North Korea didn't say exactly what steps it would take in retaliation.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned that such a "provocative act" could jeopardize the stalled talks on supplying North Korea with aid and other concessions in exchange for dismantling its nuclear program