SYDNEY, Oct 29: The United States will look to close ally Australia to provide some military muscle to UN sanctions against North Korea once details are worked out, US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said on Sunday.

“I would think that as we look to the difficulties of policing this in Asia, we would look for countries with capabilities, and Australia has real capabilities in this regard,” Hill told a public forum hosted by the Sydney Institute.

Hill, chief US envoy for North Korean affairs, was to meet senior Australian officials during a brief visit, and he said cooperation on sanctions enforcement would be on the agenda.

“I think we will certainly continue our dialogue to see where specifically we can work together. It’s pretty early in the process,” he said.

Last week, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said Australia was prepared to provide a warship to help interdict cargo vessels heading to or from North Korea as part of any UN sanctions regime.

The Security Council voted on Oct 14 to slap Pyongyang with financial and arms sanctions after it staged its first nuclear test on Oct 9, but details of the plan and its full scope are still under debate.

Hill said that specific enforcement mechanisms for the UN sanctions still had to be resolved before any action could begin.

He said: “We’ll obviously be very closely in touch with the Australians on this.”

In separate remarks, Hill praised China for exerting pressure on North Korea in concert with other powers.—Reuters