US-led efforts to pass a new resolution over North Korea's rocket launch fail as ten out of 15 UN Security Council members oppose the move.
Russia and China opposed the new measures against the North as they were not convinced that the launch was a violation of UN rules. Libya, Vietnam and Uganda were among the other nations which supported the view, council diplomats said. "It's 10 against five," one diplomat told Reuters.
China's UN envoy Zhang Yesui noted on Sunday that any UNSC reaction must be "cautious" and "proportionate.Our position is that all countries concerned should show restraint and refrain from taking actions that might lead to increased tensions," Yesui said.
The Security Council issued a brief statement after three hours of talks, saying the 15 members would spend the next couple of days discussing how to respond to the launch.
Meanwhile, council members failed to issue a nonbinding statement to the press that would have expressed "concern" about the launch, diplomats said.
US Ambassador Susan Rice said Washington's view was that "the most appropriate response to an action of this gravity would be a Security Council resolution."
"We will be embarked on additional consultations with partners in the Security Council as well as allies and concerned parties outside of the Security Council towards obtaining that kind of outcome," she added.
Rice also acknowledged that there was no consensus on whether the rocket was a violation of Security Council resolution 1718.
According to the resolution, Pyongyang was banned from launching ballistic missiles or carrying out further atomic tests after its 2006 nuclear test.
China and Russia had made clear they would use their veto powers to block any resolution imposing new sanctions on Pyongyang, according to diplomats.
Russia and China opposed the new measures against the North as they were not convinced that the launch was a violation of UN rules. Libya, Vietnam and Uganda were among the other nations which supported the view, council diplomats said. "It's 10 against five," one diplomat told Reuters.
China's UN envoy Zhang Yesui noted on Sunday that any UNSC reaction must be "cautious" and "proportionate.Our position is that all countries concerned should show restraint and refrain from taking actions that might lead to increased tensions," Yesui said.The Security Council issued a brief statement after three hours of talks, saying the 15 members would spend the next couple of days discussing how to respond to the launch.
Meanwhile, council members failed to issue a nonbinding statement to the press that would have expressed "concern" about the launch, diplomats said.
US Ambassador Susan Rice said Washington's view was that "the most appropriate response to an action of this gravity would be a Security Council resolution.""We will be embarked on additional consultations with partners in the Security Council as well as allies and concerned parties outside of the Security Council towards obtaining that kind of outcome," she added.
Rice also acknowledged that there was no consensus on whether the rocket was a violation of Security Council resolution 1718.
According to the resolution, Pyongyang was banned from launching ballistic missiles or carrying out further atomic tests after its 2006 nuclear test.
China and Russia had made clear they would use their veto powers to block any resolution imposing new sanctions on Pyongyang, according to diplomats.
Courtesy: Press TV
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