UN Security Council to vote on new severe North Korea rocket test sanctions

The UN Security Council plans to vote on a resolution on Tuesday that would dramatically expand existing sanctions on North Korea in response to its nuclear test. The 15-member council will meet at 3:00 pm (2000 GMT) to decide on the package of measures that the United States says will impose the toughest sanctions yet on North Korea. The U.S. presented the draft resolution to the council last week after reaching agreement with China, Pyongyang’s sole ally, on the new sanctions.

[The sanctions] would break new ground and represent the strongest set of sanctions imposed by the Security Council in more than two decades,

US Ambassador Samantha Power

US Ambassador Samantha Power said that adoption of the resolution would send “an unambiguous and unyielding message to the DPRK regime: The world will not accept your proliferation. There will be consequences for your actions." The council decided to impose new measures on North Korea after it carried out its fourth nuclear test on January 6 and test-fired a rocket on February 7. Both tests were in violation of a series of resolutions barring North Korea from developing nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The new measures cover a raft of organisations, individuals and restrictions on exported goods such as mined minerals and fuel.

UN security council