'India blocked its airspace for N Korean plane at US request'

India at the request of the United States had blocked its air space to a North Korean plane allegedly delivering illicit cargo to Iran last year forcing it to turn back," a US lawmaker said today.       

"Last August, India responded to a US request and blocked its airspace to a North Korean plane delivering illicit cargo to Iran. That plane had to turn back," Congressman Ed Royce said during a Congressional hearing on North Korea.       

The Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment Subcommittee and the Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a joint hearing on "North Korea's Nuclear and Missile Tests and the Six Party Talks: Where do we go from here?"       

Royce said North Korean proliferation to Middle East certainly heightens concerns. Pyongyang's cooperation with states such as Iran and Syria is very, very well documented, he said.       

"North Korean proliferation makes proposals to cap its nuclear programme a non-starter. While diplomacy dithers, we need to be bolstering our defenses against North Korean proliferation," he said.