`US Proposed Pres. Statement on NK Rocket Launch`

Sources close to the diplomatic sector say the United States proposed that the U.N. Security Council issue a "presidential statement" on North Korea’s rocket launch.

They said Thursday that Washington made the proposal when five permanent members of the council and Japan resumed discussion on the matter.

The proposal came based on the expected difficulty to issue a resolution due to strong opposition from China and Russia. The proposal is understood as a U.S. attempt to conclude the council’s response to the North’s rocket launch Sunday.

Along with Washington, Tokyo initially proposed a binding resolution on stricter enforcement of existing sanctions on Pyongyang. Japan has condemned the rocket launch as a violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718.

China, however, is known to have proposed a nonbinding press statement, weaker than a presidential statement.

After the meeting, Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations Yukio Takasu reaffirmed Tokyo’s intention to seek a new resolution. “We have sustained a productive discussion to send a strong message to North Korea’s serious action. We also agreed to keep discussing. North Korea’s rocket launch influenced Japan the most,” he said.

The North said the rocket was a satellite but has not yet notified the world body that it had launched a satellite into orbit as U.N. rules require. In a news briefing Thursday, U.N. spokesman Michele Montas said, “As of today, the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs has not received any information from North Korea under the Outer Space Treaty or the registration convention with regard to the launch.”

higgledy@donga.com jkmas@donga.com