The United States pressed all nations yesterday to enforce toughened UN sanctions against North Korea, saying this was vital for any chance of getting it back onto the road towards nuclear disarmament.
The US call reflected concern that North Korea's neighbours, especially China and South Korea, may be hesitant to apply sanctions rigorously for fear of causing internal collapse that could trigger a refugee exodus or even armed conflict.
A US official charged with enforcing sanctions on North Korea sought South Korea's further support in talks two weeks ago as Pyongyang was making conciliatory gestures towards Seoul after months of military grandstanding. China, Stalinist North Korea's biggest benefactor and the closest thing it could claim as a real ally, has been loath to push any punishment that could destabilise Pyongyang's mercurial leadership and stir anarchy along its border.
"Effective implementation of these (UN sanctions) resolutions is imperative to convince North Korea that its only viable option is a return to diplomacy and denuclearization," said Glyn Davies, US ambassador to the UN nuclear watchdog.
Addressing a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's governing body, he urged all nations to fully implement relevant resolutions and to "be vigilant and transparent" in their dealings with North Korea.
Mr Davies said international resolve to rein in North Korea was vital to peace and security as well as the credibility and viability of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The sanctions, aimed at stamping out North Korea's shadowy arms trade vital to its sagging coffers, were passed by the UN Security Council after Pyongyang's long-range rocket launch in April and second test of a nuclear device in May.
North Korea has publicly written off often-stalled disarmament-for-aid talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States and proclaimed it would revive its nuclear weapons programme.
Pyongyang has signalled that it wants only direct dealings with the US, something Washington has ruled out.