France questions validity of N Korea nuclear test

PARIS, Oct 11 (Reuters) French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said today that North Korea's nuclear test was either a failure or a non-nuclear explosion, given the relatively low intensity of the blast.

North Korea said on Monday it had successfully conducted an underground nuclear test, which triggered a 4.2 magnitude tremor in the area. So far only Russia has said the evidence available confirmed a nuclear blast actually occurred.

''What we detected was clearly an explosion of limited size,'' Alliot-Marie told Europe 1 radio.

''Today, given it's weak power, it is hard to say if it was a very large, but traditional, type of explosion or else a nuclear explosion ... If it was a nuclear explosion, it was a failed explosion,'' she said.

''However, that does not make it any the less serious.'' France has nuclear weapons and carried out its last nuclear test in 1996.

Reuters SAM GC1309