The World Speaks To North Korea Unanimously

North Korean soldiers walk on the waterfront at the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, northeastern China, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006. The U.S. and Japan said they want a vote Saturday by the U.N. Security Council on a resolution imposing punishing sanctions on North Korea for its claimed nuclear test and demanding the elimination of all its nuclear weapons. Last-minute changes sought by Russia and China were accepted and the vote on resolution #1718 passed unanimously. Image Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

The World Speaks To North Korea Unanimously

Today, the world, through the UN Security Council, voted unanimously (15-0) to hit North Korea with further sanctions following the nuclear test that North Korea conducted earlier this week.

Among other sanctions, luxury items are banned to be sold to any North Korean entity trying to purchase them in the world markets.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il downs a drink during a toast with a South Korean media representitive Kum Chang-Tae in Pyongyang, North Korea Saturday August 12, 2000. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il loves his fancy food. But will he have to start eating more kimichi and less caviar if a U.N. resolution passes banning the sale of luxury goods to North Korea? Image Credit: AP Photo/Yonhap

Kim Jong Il as depicted in the movie - "Team America World Police" Image Credit: Paramount Pictures

John Bolton, the US Secretary to the UN, was able to successfully show a united front by the world body against nuclear proliferation.

This from AP via Yahoo! News -

U.N. adopts resolution against N. Korea
Associated Press - 4 minutes ago

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose punishing sanctions on North Korea for its claimed nuclear test, declaring that its action posed "a clear threat to international peace and security."

The vote came after the United States, Britain and France overcame last-minute differences with Russia and China.

A former South Korean intelligence agent wearing North Korean military uniform stands next to a picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il as he says he wants to go to North Korea to destroy the North's nuclear weapon during an anti-North Korean rally in front of Defense Ministry in Seoul, Friday, Oct. 13, 2006. As key Security Council members neared agreement on a resolution on North Korea, a new U.S. draft resolution was proposed that would authorize non-military sanctions against the country for its claimed nuclear test. Image Credit: AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man

The resolution demands North Korea eliminate all its nuclear weapons but expressly rules out military action against the country - a demand by the Russians and Chinese. The Americans also eliminated a complete ban on the sale of conventional weapons; instead, the resolution limits the embargo to major hardware such as tanks, warships, combat aircraft and missiles.
Reference Here>>

UPDATE - additional information from Associated Press -

Security Council OKs N. Korea sanctions
By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer

North Korea immediately rejected the resolution, and its U.N. ambassador walked out of the council chamber after accusing its members of a "gangster-like" action which neglects the nuclear threat posed by the United States.

The U.S.-sponsored resolution demands that the reclusive communist nation abandon its nuclear weapons program, and orders all countries to prevent North Korea from importing or exporting any material for weapons of mass destruction or ballistic missiles. It orders nations to freeze assets of people or businesses connected to these programs, and ban the individuals from traveling.

The resolution also calls on all countries to inspect cargo leaving and arriving in North Korea to prevent any illegal trafficking in unconventional weapons or ballistic missiles. The final draft was softened from language authorizing searches, but was still unacceptable to China — the North's closest ally and largest trading partner - which said it would not carry out any searches.

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said North Korea's proclaimed test "poses one of the gravest threats to international peace and security that this council has ever had to confront."

"Today, we are sending a strong and clear message to North Korea and other would be proliferators that there will be serious repercussions in continuing to pursue weapons of mass destruction," he said, in what appeared to be a clear warning to Iran whose nuclear ambitions come before the Security Council again next week.

North Korea's U.N. Ambassador Pak Gil Yon countered by blaming the United States for forcing the country to conduct a test because of its "nuclear threat, sanctions and pressure."

"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is ready for talks, dialogue and confrontation," Pak said. "If the United States increases pressure upon the Democratic People's Republic of Korea persistently, the DPRK will continue to take physical countermeasures considering it as a declaration of war."

South Korean ambassador to the U.N. Choi Young-Jin, right, speaks during a security council meeting Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006 at the United Nations. The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose punishing sanctions on North Korea for its claimed nuclear test, declaring that its action posed 'a clear threat to international peace and security.' Image Credit: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

North Korea has made similar threats in the past, and has also said it might conduct a second nuclear test in response to U.N. sanctions.

The vote came after the United States, Britain and France overcame last-minute differences with Russia and China during what the Russian ambassador called "tense negotiations."

The resolution demands North Korea eliminate all its nuclear weapons but expressly rules out military action against the country, a demand by the Russians and Chinese. Bolton warned Pyongyang, however, that if it continues pursuing nuclear weapons, the U.S. would seek further measures.

The Security Council condemned the nuclear test that North Korea said it conducted on Oct. 9. It demanded that North Korea immediately return to six-nation talks aimed at persuading Pyongyang to dismantle its weapons program without precondition.

It also imposed sanctions for the North's "flagrant disregard" of the council's appeal not to detonate a nuclear device and demanded that North Korea "not conduct any further nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile."

"This action by the United Nations, which was swift and tough, says that we are united in our determination to see to it that the Korean peninsula is nuclear-weapons free," President Bush said.

South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, who was chosen on Friday to become the next U.N. secretary-general, said in an interview with The Associated Press that the council's resolution "sends a very strong, clear and unified message to North Korea."
Read All>>

John Bolton, for his part, appropriately compared the North Korean U.N. ambassador to Nikita Krushchev and his action of defiance in the UN chamber - the taking off his shoe and pounding it on the desk to draw attention (October 1960) - after he (the North Korean) walked out of the UN council chamber after reading his prepared statement and accusing its members of a "gangster-like" action.