London: North Korea might defer its first nuclear test by three months, giving time to the United States to lift financial sanctions and return to the negotiation table, a media report said on Sunday.
"If Americans don't start bilateral dialogue with Pyongyang and lift sanctions, them Kim Jong-il is expected to give order to carry on with the test, most likely in the second half of December or early January," the Sunday Telegraph quoted anonymous Russian military officials as saying.
The Stalinist state had announced last week that it would conduct an underground nuclear test giving way to speculation that it might come as early as Sunday.
"Normally, if Pyongyang makes an important and provocative announcement, it tries to heat up to the maximum point, and then suddenly falls silent for a long time," the officials said.
The 10ft long weapon, weighing 4 tonnes with a 20-kiloton yield, is capable of killing 200,000 people, the officials were quoted by the paper.
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