UNITED NATIONS, July 12: China and Russia introduced a new UN Security Council resolution on Wednesday to compete with a proposal by Japan to impose weapons-related sanctions on North Korea in response to its missile tests.

China had threatened to veto the Japanese draft resolution and the eight supporters had not scheduled a council vote on it.

US Ambassador John Bolton said the new draft from Russia and China brought both countries closer to the Japanese position, which is backed by the United States, Britain, France and others.

However, he said the United States would negotiate on the basis of the Japanese draft.

The new China-Russia draft resolution deplores North Korea’s seven missile tests last week and urges but does not demand that Pyongyang institute a moratorium on such launches.

It also softens sanctions by calling on UN members to ‘exercise vigilance’ rather than insisting that they prevent supplying material and technologies, which could contribute to North Korea’s missile programs, according to the text.

Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima said he was still seeking an early decision by the council on the basis of his draft resolution.

He said the Russia-China draft deserved to be studied. “But I doubt very much whether it will be a text that will meet the support of the co-sponsors,” Mr Oshima said.

China’s UN Ambassador Wang Guangya for the first time said publicly he had instructions to veto the Japanese draft, especially while a high-level delegation from Beijing was in Pyongang to negotiate with North Korea.

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the Russian-Chinese draft resolution went ‘a long way’ towards meeting the concerns of supporters of the Japanese resolution.—Reuters