US: US pledges action against NKorean missile
05 Apr 2009 1:57 PM
WASHINGTON, April 4 AFP - The United States has pledged to take action after North Korea fired a rocket, calling it a "provocative act" that threatened security in Asia.
The missile launch is an early test for US President Barack Obama, who had joined other world leaders in urging the hardline communist state to drop plans to test a missile.
"Certainly it threatens the whole safely and security of that region," State Department spokesman Fred Lash said as he confirmed the launch late Saturday Washington time.
"We look on this as a provocative act and certainly would - from the United States - take appropriate steps to let North Korea know that it can't threaten the safety and security of other countries with impunity and acts like these," Lash said.
He said that the test violated UN Security Council Resolution 1718, which was adopted after Pyongyang carried out a nuclear test in 2006.
That resolution had imposed sanctions on military goods and luxury products to North Korea and warned it not to carry out any further nuclear of ballistic missile tests.
Japan requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting shortly after the launch.
"As you know, it's a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718," Lash said.
"We know that for a fact. We certainly will take that under consideration in the next few days."
US congressman Howard Berman, who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the UN Security Council should take action.
"The test is an unnecessary provocation that raises tensions in the region," Berman said in a statement.
"Since the launch violates UN Security Council resolution 1718, I urge the Security Council to take strong and concerted action to demonstrate that Pyongyang's actions are unacceptable," he said.
Berman called on China and Russia - which have diplomatic ties with Pyongyang - to join ranks with the United States and its allies Japan and South Korea in condemning the test.
The five countries are part of deadlocked negotiations on ending North Korea's nuclear program.
A 2007 aid-for-disarmament deal has stalemated over feuding on how North Korea would verify it is giving up its nuclear weapons.
