<p><br /> The sinking of a South Korean warship has been condemned as part of a reckless pattern of aggression by North Korea.<br /> </p><p><br /> Those were the words of US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, as the United States and its allies turn up the rhetorical heat on the communist country.<br /> </p><p><br /> He called the sinking of the 1,200-ton patrol ship Cheonan in March, unprovoked and "part of a larger pattern of provocative and reckless behaviour" that leaves the destitute country an international pariah.<br /> </p><p><br /> "This sinking is far more than a single, isolated incident," Gates told Asian defence officials at a conference in Singapore.<br /> </p><p><br /> The harsh assessment reflects the Obama administration's pessimism about persuading the North to end its nuclear weapons programme.<br /> </p><p><br /> Pyongyang has walked away from an agreement that would dismantle its nuclear facilities in exchange for economic and political aid, and the White House holds little hope that the diplomatic effort can be revived.<br /> </p><p><br /> The United States wants China to pressure North Korea to back down, and it wants Chinese support for action against North Korea by the United Nations Security Council.<br /> </p><p><br /> Defence Secretary Liam Fox said it was important "that tensions are not escalated further and steps are taken to promote stability in the Korean Peninsula."<br /> </p><p><br /> Last year, North Korea declared that it would pull out of six-party talks for good and resume its nuclear enrichment programme. North Korea has also expelled all nuclear inspectors from the country.<br /> </p><p><br /> After the sinking of the Cheonan, suspicions immediately focused on Pyongyang. Last month an international team of investigators issued a report saying that the South Korean warship was most likely torpedoed by a North Korean mini-submarine. Pyongyang has angrily rejected the allegation.<br /> </p>
