Major powers agree on resolution to sanction N. Korea for nuke test: diplomat

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, background throughout)
By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, June 10 (Yonhap) -- An agreement has been reached among five
permanent members of the U.N. Security Council on a draft resolution to sanction
North Korea for its recent nuclear test, diplomats said Wednesday.
"The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- the U.S., Britain,
France, China and Russia, and South Korea and Japan -- have agreed on a draft
resolution on North Korea's second nuclear test," a diplomat said, requesting
anonymity. "The security council will soon convene a plenary meeting of 15
countries to circulate the draft."
Diplomats expected a vote to be held Friday at the latest.
China, North Korea's staunchest communist ally, agreed on the U.S.-written draft
Tuesday, but the delegation from Russia, another veto power, did not, citing the
need to consult Moscow.
The 35-point draft resolution bans any further nuclear and ballistic missile
tests and calls for overall arms embargoes and financial sanctions on North
Korea, sources said.
The P-5 plus two, including the five veto-wielding permanent council members and
South Korea and Japan, have met several times since the North's May 25 nuclear
detonation, the second of its kind. However, they had failed to narrow
differences over the level of sanctions, although they agreed on the need to
adopt a legally binding resolution against the North.
Susan Rice, the U.S. permanent representative to the U.N., said Tuesday that they
were "working through a large set of very complex, difficult issues, and this is
a very technical endeavor," adding "this will be concluded relatively soon."
The draft calls for U.N. member states to escort any North Korean vessels deemed
to be carrying parts of weapons of mass destruction to their territorial waters
for cargo inspections if the North Korean craft resists interdiction in
international waters.
China has demanded any inspections be made within the framework of existing
international law, which prohibits cargo interdictions in international waters
unless approved by the country of the flag carried by the vessel.
China and Russia thwarted a bid by Washington and its allies to adopt a
resolution after North Korea's April 5 rocket launch. A largely symbolic Security
Council presidential statement was adopted at that time.
"Negotiations took a lot of time since the nuclear test on May 25, as China
considers North Korea's possible collapse a more serious threat than the nuclear
threat," a diplomat said.
The draft resolution also bans member states from funneling to North Korea
financial assistance or any other resources that may contribute to the North's
nuclear and ballistic missile programs, or any other programs related to weapons
of mass destruction.
U.N. member states are also advised to reduce or refrain from providing any
further financial aid to North Korea unless the aid is related to humanitarian
activity.
The enhanced financial sanctions by the U.N. come as Washington considers
pursuing its own financial sanctions against North Korea.
Washington slapped financial sanctions on a Macau bank in 2005 to freeze US$25
million worth of North Korean assets, effectively cutting off Pyongyang's access
to the international financial system. Banco Delta Asia had been accused of
helping North Korea launder money from circulating sophisticated counterfeit
US$100 bills called "supernotes."
It is not clear whether the sanctions will deter the North from further
provocations, with some saying Pyongyang will eventually return to bilateral or
multilateral negotiations and others voicing pessimism about Pyongyang's
willingness to abandon its nuclear arsenal.
China has widely disregarded sanctions on North Korea stipulated in previous
resolutions adopted after North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
China has the key, as North Korea is heavily dependent on its communist neighbor
for energy, food and other necessities. Beijing demanded any sanctions be
conducive to coaxing the reclusive North to return to the multilateral nuclear
disarmament talks.
"China is not doing enough," Peter Beck, adjunct professor at Underwood
International School, said. "There's no tangible, no concrete action taken by
China other than some strong words. We know everyone has strong words for North
Korea, but we have yet to see any concrete action from Beijing to send a message
to Pyongyang to be more cooperative."
North Korea's recent provocations, including nuclear and missile tests, are
widely seen as an attempt by ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to help his
third and youngest son, Jong-un, consolidate power in an unprecedented
third-generation dynastic power transfer in the reclusive communist state.
"Although China is an irreplaceable supplier of vital commodities, such as food
and energy, to North Korea, ultimately Pyongyang will not allow China to dictate
policies that undermine the regime's perceived vital interests," Denny Roy,
senior fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu, said. "China also fears
pushing too hard, as this might either forfeit all Chinese influence or cause a
collapse of the regime. So in this sense China's influence is limited -- largely
self-limited."
hdh@yna.co.kr
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