UN Slaps Sanctions, North Korea Warns of war

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) unanimously imposed financial and arms sanctions on North Korea to punish it for testing a nuclear device earlier this week. All 15 members of the Security Council co-sponsored and voted for the resolution and warned North Korea against repeating such an act in future.

The U.S.-drafted resolution, which stated the communist state's action as a "clear threat to international peace and security," underwent major changes to accommodate the concerns of China and Russia and the final resolution is not as harsh as Washington wanted.

Most of Pyongyang's trade crosses through China. North Korea also rests between China's border and South Korea. China’s U.N. ambassador, Wang Guangya said, "China strongly urges the countries concerned to adopt a prudent and responsible attitude in this regard and refrain from taking any provocative steps that may intensify the tensions.”

The final resolution adopted by the UNSC is under chapter 7, which allows enforcement, but invokes article 41, which does not allow the use of military force. The council ambassadors said that their aim was to have a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.

The resolution allows nations to stop cargo going to and from North Korea to check for weapons of mass destruction or related supplies and bars trade with North Korea in dangerous weapons. It also imposes bans on heavy conventional weapons and luxury goods and asks nations to freeze funds connected with North Korea's unconventional arms programs.

North Korea's U.N. ambassador, Pak Gil Yon, walked out of the council and accused members of "gangster-like" action for adopting the resolution and ignoring the threat from the United States against his country. He categorically said that Pyongyang considered any further U.S. pressure a "declaration of war."

Welcoming the strong message sent by the council, American Ambassador John Bolton, who piloted the resolution in the council said, "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."

Experts however believe that sanctions alone would not be enough to pressure a government that is already economically and diplomatically isolated and it is very unlikely that such sanctions will change North Korea's behavior.

The entire world hopes that sanctions prove to be important prods that bring North Korea back to the negotiating table and that U.S. is there and is ready to negotiate.