Britain said today it was hopeful the United Nations Security Council will deliver a resolution against North Korea that includes tougher financial sanctions, after the isolated state's nuclear test last week.
"There is a genuine world concern, and hopefully a consensus will come from that," Ann Taylor, British Minister for International Defence and Security, told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of a regional defence conference.
Britain joined the United States, Australia and East Asian defence ministers in condemning North Korea's latest military moves at the Asia Security Conference in Singapore.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned yesterday at the meeting that Washington would not accept a nuclear North Korea and said it would reach out to other regional powers to stop a growing threat that could trigger an arms race in Asia.
The US and Japan have circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning the test and calling for enforcement of sanctions imposed after Pyongyang's first 2006 nuclear test, which included a widely ignored limited trade and arms embargo.
Taylor said the Chinese concern voiced at the forum made her hopeful the U.N. resolution would bring "some concerted action". "It is that unity of action that I think is important here. Because if we only can get the unity of action, the regime in North Korea will understand the strength of feeling and will begin to take notice," she said.
Yesterday, a top Chinese army official called on North Korea to move to denuclearisation and asked all regional parties to stay calm. But he did not mention sanctions. China exports food and energy supplies to neighbouring North Korea.
Fellow UN Security Council member Russia said last week it was too early to talk about possible penalties. This could mean a split in the Security Council, given that Gates on Saturday had called for sanctions that would bring "real pain" to the North.
Taylor said tougher financial sanctions were a possibility.
"That remains one of the options," she said. "We've got to work these things out with colleagues and partners on the UN Security Council and consider what is the next step forward."
MORE FOR AFGHANISTAN
Taylor also echoed Gates' call for more troops and other aid from the rest of the world to build infrastructure in conflict-ridden Afghanistan. "We are operating in a difficult area in the south. We are making progress but we could do more with more help from other NATO countries, in terms of military forces, training police, helping establishing the rule of law," Taylor said.
Gates said yesterday he was looking to Europeans in particular to do more since previous NATO summits have identified Afghanistan as the alliance's highest priority, but there was a gap between the rhetoric in NATO and the capabilities members were prepared to put forward.
The United States leads a coalition from more than 40 countries in Afghanistan and is adding another 20,000 troops to the 38,000 there, to counter gains by a resurgent Taliban.
Britain plans to raise its troops, already the second largest in the coalition, to 9,000 this summer, Taylor said.
"I don't think we can do much at the present time," she said. We are the second largest contributor and we are pulling our weight."