SEOUL, Oct 9: World powers condemned North Korea on Monday after it announced that it had conducted an underground nuclear test.

Beijing, Pyongyang’s strongest political and economic backer, denounced the test by its neighbour as ‘brazen’, and urged it to avoid action that could worsen the situation. Russian President Vladimir Putin also condemned the test.

The announcement by Pyongyang sharply escalated world concerns over its nuclear program and was a slap in the face for major regional and world powers engaged in six-party talks intended to prevent just such a test.

It delivered a sharp blow to Chinese President Hu Jintao’s doctrine of using economic incentives and diplomatic coaxing to avert North Korea’s drive to become a nuclear weapons state.

The Security Council was preparing a swift response to the test, with the United States calling for a range of sanctions including international inspection of cargo going in and out of North Korea to check for weapons of mass destruction and related materials, diplomats said.

Other proposals included a total arms embargo and a freeze on assets associated with Pyongyang’s weapons of mass destruction.

Britain and France said they would support sanctions. “The discussion will be on sanctions,” France’s United Nations Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere said on his way into a Council session. “The time has come to have a Chapter 7 resolution.”

Chapter 7 makes a resolution mandatory for all U.N. members and allows for sanctions and even war. But the Security Council has to state specifically what kind of action members want.

Israel worried that Iran, already the focus of multinational efforts to curtail its nuclear program, might be emboldened to follow North Korea’s lead.

—Reuters/AFP