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North Korea launch called 'reckless', 'provocative'
Tokyo (AFP) April 5, 2009 North Korea's rocket launch Sunday rattled all of East Asia and US President Barack Obama led global condemnation of what he called an attempt to provoke trouble. Obama said North Korea had tested a ballistic missile in defiance of UN resolutions. South Korea, which called the act "reckless", and Japan put their militaries on heightened alert. China and Russia pleaded for restraint while the UN Security Council was called into emergency session. Comments of censure were quickly fired from world capitals after the isolated Stalinist state launched what it said was a satellite broadcasting "immortal revolutionary songs". "The launch today of a Taepodong-2 missile was a clear violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718, which expressly prohibits North Korea from conducting ballistic missile-related activities of any kind," Obama said in a statement released in Prague where he is on a European tour. The United States believes the missile carrier could reach Alaska. "With this provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations," the statement added. The rocket flew over Japanese territory and some of the booster engines landed off the Japanese coast but the government took no action to shoot it down as it had warned it might. But Japan has warned the North of new sanctions. "It is an extremely provocative action. Japan can never overlook it," Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso told reporters. He said Japan would work with other nations to take action against North Korea. South Korea put its 680,000 military on heightened alert and a presidential spokesman called the launch a "reckless" threat to international security, threatening a firm response. "Regardless of any North Korean claims, this is provocative activity which threatens stability and peace on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia," said Foreign Minister Yu Myung-Hwan. Yu noted that the launch "required an enormous amount of money, which could have been used to solve its chronic food shortage." The European Union, Britain, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand all joined the condemnation. The United States and Japan called for the emergency UN Security Council meeting on Sunday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, a South Korean, said: "Given the volatility in the region, as well as a stalemate in interaction among the concerned parties, such a launch is not conducive to efforts to promote dialogue, regional peace and stability." China, Pyongyang's closest ally, and Russia both urged restraint. "We hope relevant parties will remain calm and restrained, handle the situation properly, and together maintain peace and stability in the region," China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement. "We are examining whether this is a violation of the corresponding United Nations Security Council resolutions and we call on all sides to refrain from actions which could cause an escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula," an official in Russia's foreign ministry was quoted as saying by the state Novosti news agency. Moscow will give its official reaction after military experts have finished studying the launch, said foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko. China, Russia, the United States, South Korea and the United Nations have all tried to engage the North in talks on ending its nuclear weapons programme. The secretive Pyongyang government has regularly ignored international pleas to make concessions. It has technically remained at war with South Korea since their 1950-1953 conflict, which ended without a peace treaty.
earlier related report These are key dates in Pyongyang's missile development: Late 1970s: Starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 300 km or 187 miles). Test-fired in 1984 1987-92: Begins developing variant of Scud-C (500 km), Rodong-1 (1,300 km), Taepodong-1 (2,500 km), Musudan-1 (3,000 km) and Taepodong-2 (6,700 km) Aug 1998: Test-fires Taepodong-1 over Japan as part of failed satellite launch Sept 1999: Declares moratorium on long-range missile tests amid improving ties with US July 12, 2000: Fifth round of US-North Korean missile talks ends in Kuala Lumpur without agreement after North demands one billion dollars a year in return for halting missile exports Dec 2002: 15 North Korean-made Scuds seized on Yemen-bound ship March 3, 2005: North ends moratorium on long-range missile testing, blames Bush administration's "hostile" policy July 5, 2006: North test-fires seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 which explodes after 40 seconds July 15, 2006: UN Security Council adopts Resolution 1695, demanding halt to all ballistic missile activity and banning trade in missile-related items with the North Oct 9, 2006: North conducts underground nuclear test, its first Oct 14, 2006: Security Council approves Resolution 1718, demanding a halt to missile and nuclear tests. Bans the supply of items related to the programmes and of other weapons. Feb 3, 2009: South Korean sources say North seems to be preparing long-range missile test Feb 24, 2009: State media says North preparing to launch satellite as part of peaceful space programme March 12, 2009: North notifies international shipping, aviation bodies of launch between April 4-8 March 26, 2009: North says any UN discussion of its rocket launch would cause breakdown of nuclear disarmament talks April 5, 2009: North Korea launches a long-range rocket which flies over Japan and heads over the Pacific Ocean Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
UN boss hails US-Russian accord on nuclear arms talks
United Nations (AFP) April 3, 2009UN boss Ban Ki-moon on Friday hailed an agreement by US and Russian leaders to hold talks on further cuts in their nuclear arsenals to replace a key arms control pact that expires late this year. |
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