UN struggles to agree on N Korea
By Mark Turner, Guy Dinmore and Dan Dombey
October 12, 2006
The Financial Times
Original Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/384a7b34-5951-11db-9eb1-0000779e2340.html

The US is expected to introduce on Thursday a revised draft resolution on sanctions to be imposed on North Korea over its nuclear test announcement, as leading powers are struggling with negotiations on the precise scope of the punitive action.
Washington hopes the UN Security Council will adopt the revised resolution by the end of this week. Although members of the Council, including the previously reluctant China, appear to agree that punitive action is necessary, talks have slowed amid disagreement over the legal basis for it, while Pyongyang warned it would consider the measures an act of war.
Leading powers also disagree on whether the claimed nuclear test should be deemed an international threat to peace and security, and exactly how far sanctions should go.
The US, Europe and Japan are pushing for a Chapter 7 resolution, under which the UN can take tough enforcement action. George W. Bush, US president, on Wednesday urged “serious repercussions”.
But China has argued for using only Article 41 of that chapter – which cannot be used to authorise force. African and European diplomats from the non-permanent 10 countries on the Council were said to have asked that if a nuclear test were not worthy of Chapter 7, what was?
More difficult will be the debate on whether the sanctions should focus narrowly on measures to stop states from helping North Korea’s missile and nuclear programme – on which all could agree – or extend powers to inspect vessels travelling to and from the country and to cut off financial flows.
Japanese proposals for an almost total embargo did not attract widespread support. Kenzo Oshima, the Japan’s ambassador, said China was willing to impose some punitive measures “but in our view we would have to ask them to make further efforts.”
Japan on Wednesday night imposed draconian unilateral sanctions on Pyongyang, banning all ships, all imports and most North Korean nationals from entering the country. But officials in Tokyo said the unilateral measures must be distinguished from the efforts of Japan, current chair of the Security Council, to build an international consensus on North Korea.
An explicit call by Japan on UN members to inspect cargos to and from North Korea was now unlikely to survive. Russia and China were said to be concerned with the idea, with Moscow warning that inspections at sea could allow North Korea to spark a confrontation.
But some diplomats added that the US could still send ships into international waters off Korea to deter Pyongyang from exporting nuclear-related materials.
There is also debate on a proposed ban of luxury goods to North Korea. Some Europeans were said to have joked that some wines were most certainly not luxurious. 
There are also questions over how sanctions should be monitored. 
Kofi Annan, the UN’s outgoing secretary-general, said on Wednesday that he believed the Council would “come together and take firm action”, but added that dialogue was essential. 
“We should talk to parties whose behaviour we want to change. The US and North Korea should talk.”
Additional reporting by David Pilling in Tokyo