Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the United States continues discussing with the other members of the U.N. Security Council how to gain Iraq's compliance with its international disarmament obligations.

"The moment [Iraqi President] Saddam [Hussein] and his ruling clique seem to feel that they're out of danger, they will undoubtedly see no incentive to comply with their international obligations," Rumsfeld said. "That is why, after the passage of [U.N. Security Council] Resolution 1441, the United States and coalition countries are continuing to take steps to keep pressure on the regime."

Rumsfeld said that among other things, the United States and coalition war planes continue patrolling the northern and southern no-fly zones in Iraq that were created in the aftermath of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and "we've continued developing a humanitarian relief and reconstruction plan for a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq."

At a Pentagon news briefing December 23, Rumsfeld and General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the United States continues working with the Iraqi opposition and making plans for a post-Saddam transition along with keeping up the military pressure.

"We're taking prudent and deliberate steps with respect to alerts and mobilizations and deployment of U.S. forces -- active, [National] Guard and Reserves," he said. "These include alerting Reserve combat, combat support and combat service support forces, deployment of combat and combat support forces needed to pave the way for future deployments in the event that that becomes necessary."

Rumsfeld added that none of these steps reflects a decision by President Bush or the United Nations to use force, saying the United States will continue working with the U.N. member states to encourage Iraqi compliance.

Myers said the United States continues "our deliberate and steady force build-up in the region. It's important to posture our forces appropriately to complement our diplomatic efforts."

Myers confirmed that a U.S. unmanned, remote-controlled Predator surveillance aerial vehicle was reported missing over southern Iraq about 7:30 a.m. EST (1230 GMT) after being fired upon by Iraqi military aircraft. He said the Predator is assumed lost.

He said the firing by Iraqi aircraft on a U.S. Predator is not an escalation of hostilities; "it's been something they've been doing for literally the last couple of years."

And Rumsfeld said during the question period of the briefing that discussions are being conducted among the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea over the current decision by North Korea to remove international monitoring equipment from a nuclear reactor near Yongbyon and to remove seals placed by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at a spent-fuel storage facility near the Yongbyon reactor that contains approximately 8,000 irradiated fuel rods.

He said the North Koreans don't need the reactor to generate electricity because the power grid couldn't absorb that much power. The IAEA has acknowledged that without its surveillance equipment in place, it cannot guarantee that the reactor and fuel facility will not be diverted to produce material for nuclear explosive devices. The irradiated fuel rods cannot be used to generate electricity, but the plutonium could be separated from the fuel rods for weapons development, the IAEA said.

Rumsfeld said the United States is seeking a diplomatic resolution of the current dispute.