The U.N. Security Council is considering a draft statement condemning North Korea's long-range rocket launch earlier this month.
The
Council's five permanent members and Japan reached an agreement on a
draft statement Saturday and presented it to the full Council within
hours.
The
draft "condemns" the April 5 launch and says North Korea must comply
fully with Security Council Resolution 1718, which banned such launches.
It
also says the Security Council will demand North Korea not conduct any
further launches. And it calls for an early resumption of six-party
disarmament talks with Pyongyang.
Japan
had been seeking a Security Council resolution -- a measure seen as a
stronger response. But Tokyo now says it would consider a Council
presidential statement instead.
The Security Council had been deadlocked for almost a week over how it should respond to the North Korean launch.