UN not surprised as N Korea rejects UN vote

St Petersburg (Russia), Jul 16: A senior White House official said today he was not surprised that North Korea rejected a resolution imposing weapons-related sanctions on the country for its missile tests earlier this month.

''It probably is not surprising that they immediately rejected it but sometimes the first response is not the only response, the final response,'' White House counsellor Dan Bartlett told reporters.

''But what it says is that the world is speaking with one voice.'' President George W Bush, who is attending a summit in St Petersburg of the Group of Eight industrialised countries, was to hold a meeting later in the day with Chinese President Hu Jintao, with North Korea expected to be an important topic.

The resolution adopted yesterday requires all UN members to prevent imports from or exports to North Korea of missiles and missile-related items as well as materials that could be used in weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea said it ''totally rejects'' the resolution.

Bartlett said the resolution sent a message from the Security Council that ''we're serious'' and demonstrated that ''enhanced diplomatic repercussions are the path to respond to the further intransigence and refusal of the North Korean government to come back to the table and try to negotiate their disputes in a peaceful manner''.

REUTERS

Related Stories