Sanctions Against N. Korea Weighed

U.N. Considering U.S. Draft With Tough Sanctions After Reported Nuke Test

(CBS/AP)  The Security Council began weighing a U.S. draft resolution to impose potentially crippling sanctions on North Korea after the secretive communist nation claimed to have set off an atomic explosion, drawing widespread international condemnation including from its closest allies.

The Security Council unanimously condemned North Korea's decision to flout its appeal not to carry out a test and urged Pyongyang to refrain from further nuclear blasts, return to six-party talks and keep its pledge to scrap its clandestine weapons program.

President Bush called the North Korean announcement provocative and unacceptable, though he said Washington is still trying to confirm the test. Nonetheless, Pyongyang's actions "constitutes a threat to international peace and security" and requires "an immediate response" from the Security Council, he said.

Soon after, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton asked the council to adopt a very strong resolution imposing new sanctions against the North aimed at curbing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, prohibiting all trade in military and luxury goods, and preventing "any abuses of the international financial system" that could contribute to the transfer or development of banned weapons.

The United States circulated a draft resolution late Monday that would condemn the test, demand that North Korea immediately return to six-party talks without precondition, and impose sanctions for Pyongyang's "flagrant disregard" of the council's appeal not to detonate a device. The draft, obtained by the Associated Press, was based on proposals circulated earlier Monday.

Japan's U.N. Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, the current council president, said all council members "emphasized that the response of the council should be strong, swift and very, very clear in its message and its action."

But just how long it will take members to agree on a resolution remains to be seen.

"There are several levels of negotiations still ongoing to get to an agreement on a sanctions resolution regarding North Korea, including meetings of the experts and of the five permanent members of the Security Council, plus Japan, planned for Tuesday," CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk reports from the U.N. "But there is consensus that a tough document will emerge because the greater concern is the perception that an international arms race will result if not enough is done."

The Bush administration repeatedly has said it has no plans to invade North Korea and military action appeared unlikely. But the U.S. proposed stringent U.N. sanctions on Monday, including a trade ban on military and luxury items, the power to inspect all cargo entering or leaving the country, and freezing assets connected with Pyongyang's weapons programs, according to a copy of the draft obtained by The Associated Press.

But CBS News national security correspondent David Martin says the U.S. government’s response may include a naval blockade of North Korea. Martin said the North doesn't have the capability to launch a nuclear-tipped missile yet, making the primary concern the possibility that Pyongyang might export nuclear material or technology to nations such as Iran or Syria, or to a terrorist group.

North Korea's U.N. ambassador Pak Gil Yon said the Security Council should congratulate his country instead of passing "useless" resolutions or statements.

Iranian state radio, meanwhile, blamed North Korea's reported nuclear test on U.S. pressure, saying the test "was a reaction to America's threats and humiliation."

Iran has said it will not abandon uranium enrichment despite the threat of international sanctions over its disputed nuclear program, which Tehran insists is purely for peaceful purposes.

Mr. Bush said the United States was still attempting to confirm that a nuclear test had actually taken place. Still, he said, "such a claim itself constitutes a threat to international peace and security."

A U.S. government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the political sensitivity of the situation, said the seismic event could have been a nuclear explosion, but its small size was making it difficult for authorities to pin down.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service chief Kim Seung-kyu reportedly told lawmakers signs of suspicious movement were spotted at another suspected test site.

The current members of the nuclear club are the United States, Russia, Britain, France, India, Pakistan and China. Israel is widely believed to have the bomb but has not publicly declared that it does.