Britain Optimistic of UN Actions on North Korea

Britain has expressed hope that the United Nations Security Council will bring a resolution against North Korea providing for tougher financial sanctions in the wake of the isolated state’s nuke test carried out last week.

“There is a genuine world concern, and hopefully a consensus will come from that,” Ann Taylor, British Minister for International Defense and Security, said.

Britain joined the United States, Australia and East Asian defense ministers in slamming North Korea’s latest military moves at the Asia Security Conference in Singapore.

Robert Gates, US Defence Secretary, while warning at the meeting that Washington is averse to accepting a nuclear North Korea, said that it would reach out to other countries in the region to stop a growing threat that could trigger an arms race in Asia.

Denouncing the test, the US and Japan have moved a draft UN Security Council resolution that provides for enforcement of sanctions imposed after Pyongyang’s first 2006 nuclear test. The existing sanctions include a widely ignored limited trade and arms embargo.

Taylor said that the concern China raised at the forum made her hopeful of UN resolution bringing “some concerted action.”

“It is that unity of action that I think is important here. Because if we only can get the unity of action, the regime in North Korea will understand the strength of feeling and will begin to take notice,” she said.

On Saturday, a top Chinese army official called on North Korea to move to denuclearization and asked all regional parties to stay calm. But he did not mention sanctions. China exports food and energy supplies to neighboring North Korea.

While fellow UN Security Council member Russia said last week that it was too early to speak about possible penalties. This could mean a split in the Security Council, given that Gates on Saturday had called for sanctions that would bring “real pain” to the North.

Taylor said tougher financial sanctions were a possibility.

“That remains one of the options,” she said. “We’ve got to work these things out with colleagues and partners on the UN Security Council and consider what the next step forward is.”