n. korea rebuked over launch
More than a week after North Korea launched a rocket over northern Japan, the U.N. Security Council made it clear Monday that the action was an unacceptable violation of international law and agreed to toughen sanctions against the nation.
The council condemned the April 5 launch and said that by the end of the month it would expand sanctions established in 2006 in a resolution aimed at stopping North Korea from developing ballistic missiles and other weapons. The resolution was never fully enforced.
North Korea reacted sharply in a statement early today, saying that it would boycott six-party talks, bolster its nuclear deterrent and continue to develop its space program, according to wire reports.
A Security Council committee has been asked to make sure the resolution is enforced by compiling a list of companies, banks and other organizations subject to the sanctions, as well as banned materials tied to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
The day of the launch, which North Korea said was meant to put a satellite in orbit, the council met in emergency session but was unable to agree even on whether to say it was “concerned.” The U.S. and Japan pushed for a new resolution with all-out condemnation, while China and Russia, North Korea’s strongest allies, wanted the international community to back off, fearing a denunciation would endanger the talks aimed at ending Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
But after a week of negotiations, led by the U.S. and China, the council found a compromise -- to agree to a statement from the president of the Security Council that removed any ambiguity that North Korea shouldn’t be launching anything, even for a space program. Such a “presidential statement” is considered less forceful than a new resolution.
“We went in one week from arguing over whether the council should express ‘concern’ to condemning the launch . . . [to] demanding it doesn’t occur again and toughening sanctions in a way that is legally binding,” said a Western diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “That’s substantial progress.”
Many are concerned that China, which has the most contact with North Korea, won’t implement the broader sanctions by freezing the assets of Chinese groups doing business with North Korea. But Japanese Ambassador Yukio Takasu said, “China has been extremely flexible throughout negotiations.”
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