North Korea was preparing to test a nuclear weapon in an abandoned coal mining factory, but was waiting to see if it could first garner additional concessions from the US government, Reuters reported Saturday morning. The report was based on a Chinese source who had recently visited the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. On Friday, the UN Security Council urged North Korea to cancel its planned nuclear test and return immediately to talks on scrapping its nuclear weapons program, saying that exploding such a device would threaten international peace and security.
| “A statement adopted unanimously by the council expressed "deep concern" over North Korea's announcement.” |
| “Oshima indicated that the North could face sanctions or possible military action...” |
Japan, which would be in close proximity to any North Korean nuclear test, proposed the initial text. Oshima had pressed to have it adopted before Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe travels to Beijing on Sunday and Seoul on Monday with a message that the North should stop testing. "It's good that the council has come up with a very clear, strongly worded message warning against a nuclear test" before the "very important" Japan-China summit meeting, Oshima said.
US Ambassador John Bolton said the US priority now is to stop a North Korean test. "North Korea should understand how strongly the United States and many other council members feel that they should not test this nuclear device," Bolton said, "and that if they do test it, it would be a very different world the day after the test ... because there would be another nuclear power. This would be proof positive of North Korea having nuclear weapons. It would be an example of nuclear proliferation that we're very much concerned about."
| Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said threatening or conducting a nuclear test "would not help anybody including North Korea." |
The statement urges the North not to carry out the test, saying it would not help the North address its concerns, especially strengthening its security. It warns North Korea that a nuclear test would bring international condemnation, "jeopardize peace, stability and security in the region and beyond," and lead to further unspecified council action.
The council said it "deplores" the pursuit of nuclear weapons by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "The Security Council will be monitoring the situation closely," the statement says. "The Security Council stresses that a nuclear test, if carried out by the DPRK, would represent a clear threat to international peace and security and that should the DPRK ignore calls of the international community, the Security Council will act consistent with its responsibility under the Charter of the United Nations."