Beijing opposes cargo inspection: World hails N. Korea sanctions
WASHINGTON, Oct 15: The international community on Sunday broadly welcomed United Nations sanctions against North Korea over its announced nuclear test, but the consensus was fractious.
US President George Bush said the unanimous Security Council resolution sent a clear message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, a statement echoed in London, Paris, Tokyo and Seoul.
But signs of the intense diplomatic haggling over the scale and nature of the sanctions were evident even after the text was approved in New York, with China — Pyongyang’s closest ally — voicing reservations about provisions for inspecting cargo entering and leaving North Korea.
In contrast, Japan, which had pushed for even tougher measures, said it was considering further action of its own to ratchet up the pressure on Pyongyang.
In Washington, Mr Bush said the world was united against Kim’s atomic programme after its shock October 9 announcement.
“This action by the United Nations, which was swift and tough, says that we are united in our determination to see to it that the Korean peninsula is nuclear weapons-free,” the US president said.
North Korea’s UN ambassador Pak Gil Yon condemned the resolution and said the Security Council had ignored the nuclear threat posed by Washington.
“It is gangster-like for the Security Council to have adopted today a coercive resolution while neglecting the nuclear threat and moves for sanctions and pressure of the United States,” he said before storming out.
The UN text demands elimination of all North Korean programmes related to weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, a ban targeting missiles, tanks, large artillery systems, warships and combat aircraft, and provides for the inspection of cargo to and from the state.
It further allows a travel ban on officials working on such programmes and the freezing of funds and economic assets linked to them, as well as slapping an embargo on luxury goods. But it specifically does not include any reference to military action.
China’s UN ambassador, Wang Guangya, voiced reservations about provisions for cargo inspections, saying Beijing did not approve.
In a Sunday statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said the UNSC resolution should be firm but help to peacefully solve the crisis the test caused.
“We advocate that the UN Security Council’s action has to show the firm position of the international community, but on the other hand it also should be conducive towards resolving the problems through peaceful dialogue,” said ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.
“We urge all sides to be restrained and calm and to take a prudent and responsible attitude to jointly prevent the escalation of the situation, as well as to try ending the stalemate and resume the six-party talks,” he said.
Xinhua news agency reported Liu as saying that China was ‘resolutely opposed’ to the North’s declared atom bomb test and ‘determined to achieve a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula peacefully through dialogue and consultation’.
Japan hailed the UN decision as a ‘great step forward’. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tokyo was considering further measures after slapping a sweeping ban on North Korean imports before the UN vote.
“With the resolution, the international community has been able to send a strong message that we do not tolerate possession of nuclear weapons,” he told reporters.
South Korea urged the North to recognise the international community’s ‘firm stance’, abandon its weapons programme and return to six-party talks.
The foreign ministry said Seoul, one of the communist state’s main economic benefactors, welcomed and supported the resolution and would ‘sincerely implement’ it.
The European Union welcomed the sanctions, saying a united stand augured well for any showdown with Iran over its nuclear programme.—AFP
