UNITED NATIONS, Oct 9: The United States wants the UN Security Council to authorise international inspections of cargo going in and out of North Korea to check for weapons of mass destruction or related materials, diplomats said on Monday.

US Ambassador John Bolton presented the UN Security Council with 13 “elements” of a resolution he is drafting in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear weapon test, participants in a closed council session said on condition of anonymity.

Other proposals include a total arms embargo and a freeze on assets associated with Pyongyang’s possible weapons of mass destruction, the envoys said.

“We’re looking for very swift action by the Security Council,” Mr Bolton told reporters. “We think it’s important to respond even to the claim of a nuclear test by the North Koreans and we’ll be going 24/7 if we need to be to get this resolution adopted quickly.”

China’s UN Ambassador Wang Guangya said the council should react “firmly, constructively (but) prudently with regard to this challenge”.

The United States launched the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) in May 2003 that aims to encourage member countries to share intelligence and train to interdict weapons from North Korea, Iran and other states of concern.

Australia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand are the only Asia-Pacific region countries to back publicly the PSI, although the group says it has support from 60 nations.

The Security Council already has imposed weapons-related sanctions on North Korea, and many of Bolton’s proposals would repeat or strengthen those measures. But an unusual suggestion was a ban on all luxury goods.

Among the other elements Mr Bolton proposed was a suspension of all activities related to the North’s ballistic missile programme as well as materials with direct or dual use applications for the dangerous weapons.

And he would have nations take steps to prevent abuse of financial processes, an apparent reference to counterfeit currency Washington says North Korea is using, participants in the council consultations reported.

Japan’s UN Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, this month’s council president, said the consultations showed that all Security Council members “strongly” condemned North Korea’s test.

Mr Bolton told reporters: “We will be seeking a resolution under Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter.”

A Chapter 7 resolution allows for sanctions and even war, but the 15-member Security Council must specifically state what kind of action it wants.

“The discussion will be on sanctions,” France’s UN Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere told reporters. “The time has come to have a Chapter 7 resolution.”

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said: “We condemn the test. We demand that they return to the regime on non-proliferation.”

“I think the North Koreans will be facing a very serious attitude on the part of the Security Council and the entire international community,” Churkin said.—Reuters