The 15-member United National Security Council has unanimously adopted a presidential statement condemning the April 5 rocket launch by North Korea, allegedly to place a communication satellite in orbit. The statement said that the launch is "in contravention of Security Council resolution 1718." The resolution, issued in the wake of a nuclear weapon test by Pyongyang on Oct. 9, 2006, demands that North Korea does "not conduct any further nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile."
The non-binding presidential statement is a product of compromise among Japan, the United States and China. But it expresses the international community's determination not to accept the North's actions. The statement demands that the North does "not conduct any further launch."
The statement also calls for early resumption of the six-party talks for denuclearization of North Korea and calls on a UNSC sanctions committee to designate additional goods and entities subject to sanctions on the country.