N. Korea fires missiles UN weighs action

Japan, the US and Britain readied a UN Security Council resolution yesterday demanding that nations withhold all funds, goods and technology that could be used for North Korea's missile programme.

But Russia and China opposed any whiff of sanctions and preferred a strong council statement, which does not carry the weight of a resolution.

Saying Russia had "serious concerns" about North Korea's actions, Ambassador Vitali Churkin told reporters he opposed sanctions and favoured a diplomatic solution.

"In my mind we could consider the format of a presidential statement," Mr Churkin said after initial council consultations. "I would caution you against whipping up emotions too much."

China held a similar position, said France's UN Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, whose country holds the council presidency for July.

North Korea test-fired a barrage of missiles yesterday, including a long-range weapon said to be capable of reaching Alaska, ratcheting up tensions in north Asia and drawing condemnation from around the world.

Japan's UN Ambassador Kenzo Oshima said North Korea's 1998 missile launch "was serious enough." But he said "the seven launches of missiles this time - and there may be more - was far more serious."

The resolution was not distributed to council members in a morning session but will be discussed by junior diplomats in the afternoon, Mr Sabliere said. No vote is scheduled.

Japan's draft, would prevent "the transfer of financial resources, items, materials, goods and technology to end users that could contribute to (North Korea's) missile and other weapons of mass destruction programmes."

It also condemns the launching of several test missiles and strongly urges North Korea to return to the six-nation talks on its nuclear programme.

The document demands North Korea, "immediately cease the development, testing, deployment and proliferation of ballistic missiles" and reconfirms an earlier moratorium on missile launching that North Korea agreed to in 1999.

Mr Sabliere, Mr Churkin, Mr Oshima, US Ambassador John Bolton and British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry all said the 15-member council wanted to send a strong signal to North Korea.

"We hope the response of the council will be swift, strong and resolute. I think this is the general wish, as I heard it, this morning in the council, of the members," Oshima said.

Said Jones Parry: "All members of the council expressed clear concern about what happened. There was a strong view that we should respond quickly, that we should preferably retain a united council, and we should be robust in what we say."

Mr Bolton told reporters that "no member defended what the North Koreans have done."

"The tenor of that discussion shows how little support there is in the international community as a whole for these North Korean missile launches."

However, Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya struck a cautious note in comments to reporters before the meeting, urging "constructive action."

Mr Churkin also referred to the council's statement in 1998 when North Korea fired an earlier version of its Taepodong missile over northern Japan into the Pacific Ocean.

China at that time opposed any council action and instead the council issued a statement of regret to the press two weeks after the launch.