The Pentagon's missile defence chief has predicted interceptor rockets could hit and destroy a North Korean missile in flight if President Bush gave the order to attack it on a path to US territory.

Air Force Lieutenant-General Henry A. Obering III, director of the Missile Defence Agency, said yesterday he had "little doubt" the interceptor system would work, even though it has never been used in a real emergency and the US government knows relatively little about how the North Korean missile would perform.

His assurance comes as Washington called for sustained international pressure on North Korea to stop a possible missile launch, especially from close ally China.

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