Tue, June 02, 2009
LONDON, June 1 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary David Miliband condemned the nuclear test carried out by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday, saying that the action was "wrong, misguided, dangerous, and a clear breach of UN Security Council Resolution 1718."
In his written ministerial statement on the DPRK, Miliband said the nuclear test "will undermine prospects for peace on the Korean peninsula and do nothing for North Korea's security."
"Carrying out this test in the face of united efforts by members of the international community to bring peace and security to the Korean peninsula, North Korea will find itself even more isolated and scorned by the international community," the British foreign secretary said.
The DPRK's action in conducting this nuclear test represents "a clear challenge to the security of neighboring countries, and to international security," he said.
The action also gives rise to further concerns about nuclear proliferation, Miliband said.
The DPRK's actions since May 25 in testing short-range missiles and threatening to end the Armistice Agreement of 1953 are provocative and aggressive, he said.
In conducting this nuclear test, "the DPRK authorities have chosen to ignore not only the Security Council's demands but also the repeated warnings from many governments, including the UK, to desist from provocative actions," he said.
The six-party talks process offers a forum for discussion of legitimate issues between the countries involved, but the DPRK "has walked away from these talks," Miliband said.
The UN Security Council has already issued a very clear statement of condemnation and opposition to the nuclear test.
Britain is now working with Security Council partners to develop a tough new resolution imposing sanctions, which will increase the pressure on the DPRK following previous resolutions, he said.
