Rice urges tough action on NKorea, warns Iran

Washington, Oct 17: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday she would rally Asian allies this week to implement UN sanctions against North Korea and warned Iran it faced the same fate over its nuclear programme.

Rice, who will leave tomorrow for Japan, South Korea, China and Russia, said North Korea must ''pay a price'' after its underground nuclear test last week. US intelligence authorities confirmed today the test had taken place.

''We expect every member of the international community to fully implement all aspects of this resolution. And we expect the Security Council to aggressively monitor the process,'' Rice told reporters.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Saturday imposing financial and weapons sanctions against North Korea and Rice's main goal on her trip will be to find practical ways to impose those measures.

''North Korea cannot endanger the world and then expect other nations to conduct business as usual in arms or missile parts,'' said Rice.

Rice said she hoped North Korea would not conduct a second nuclear test, saying this would be a provocative act and would further isolate the country.

IRAN WARNING

The United States is also at loggerheads with Iran over its nuclear program and Tehran's refusal to meet an August. 31 UN deadline to abandon uranium enrichment or face sanctions. Iran says its nuclear program is for power generation while the US and its allies suspect Tehran of building a bomb.

Rice said the UN Security Council was expected to start work on a sanctions resolution against Iran this week.

''The Iranian government is watching and it can now see that the international community will respond to threats from nuclear proliferation,'' said Rice, whose government has spearheaded the sanctions campaign against Iran.

''So the Iranian government should consider the course that it is on, which could lead to, simply to further isolation.'' Rice said the United States was open to resuming six-party talks with North Korea on ending its nuclear ambitions without any preconditions. The six party talks bring together the two Koreas, Japan, Russia, China and the United States.

''My goal on this trip is, certainly, to reiterate that we're prepared to return to the talks. But North Korea also needs to understand ... that they will pay a price here (because of the test),'' she said.

North Korea has boycotted the talks since last year because of a U.S. crackdown on firms it suspects of aiding Pyongyang in illicit activities such as counterfeiting.

All of the six-party members except for North Korea had tentatively planned to meet in Beijing during Rice's visit but a State Department official said ''scheduling problems'' meant a meeting of the five might not take place now.

One of Rice's toughest challenges will be to convince China to follow through on its promises to rigidly impose sanctions and to put more pressure on Pyongyang.

China fought to weaken some provisions in the UN resolution and made clear nations must not take ''provocative steps'' in their actions, such as halting cargoes on the high seas.

''Rice must tell the Chinese 'We think it is in your interests to pressure North Korea and that, frankly this will be important to our (US and China's) bilateral interests','' said Winston Lord, a former US ambassador to China.

REUTERS

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