U.S. presses UN to condemn North Korean rocket launch
Last Updated: Sunday, April 5, 2009 | 8:35 PM ET
CBC News
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting Sunday in New York but didn't take immediate action against North Korea for its weekend launch of a long-range rocket.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice told reporters the Security Council will work toward a "strong collective action."
"The United States' view is this is serious — it's a violation and it merits an appropriately strong United Nations response," Rice said earlier in an ABC television interview.
The council approved the emergency session at Japan's request, minutes after Sunday's launch, which the U.S., Japan and South Korea say violated international rules.
Diplomats privy to the closed talks said council members are seeking a unified response and don't expect to reach agreement on a new resolution, possibly with tighter or added sanctions, until later in the week.
Rice said the launch violated UN Security Council Resolution 1718, passed in 2006, which bars North Korea from engaging in a ballistic missile program.
Regional powers believe the launch was a covert military exercise because the Taepodong-2 rocket used is capable of carrying warheads.
"North Korea broke the rules, once again, by testing a rocket that could be used for long-range missiles," U.S. President Barack Obama said in Prague.
"It creates instability in their region, around the world. This provocation underscores the need for action, not just this afternoon in the UN Security Council, but in our determination to prevent the spread of these weapons," Obama said.
The U.S. and its allies said they intend to push for unanimous condemnation of the nuclear-armed communist nation, and may seek to expand existing economic sanctions.
North Korea claimed the three-stage rocket carried a communications satellite that is now in orbit, transmitting data and patriotic songs.
North American Aerospace Defence Command and U.S. Northern Command officials said the rocket's first stage fell into the Sea of Japan, while the other two stages landed in the Pacific Ocean.
With files from the Associated Press
