UNITED NATIONS/SEOUL (Alarabiya.net, Agencies)
North Korea fired a long-range rocket on Sunday, provoking international outrage and sending the U.N. Security Council into a three-hour emergency session that did not result in any committment beyond continuing consultations.
The reclusive communist state, which has tested a nuclear device and is installed six-party talks on ending its nuclear program, said a satellite was launched into orbit and was circling the Earth transmitting revolutionary songs.
The United States and South Korea, which called the launch a violation of U.N. resolutions, said the Taepodong-2 rocket failed to enter orbit.
Analysts said the launch was effectively a test of a ballistic missile designed to carry a warhead as far as the U.S. state of Alaska.
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World reaction The permanent members of the Security Council were divided on their reactions to the lauch. China and Russia pleaded for restraint as the United States and Japan called for the Security Council emergency meeting to condemn North Korea's violation of resolution 1718.
South Korea, which called the act "reckless", and Japan put their militaries on heightened alert. South Korea's foreign minister confirmed that the rocket appeared to have carried a satellite, but said it was unclear whether it had been placed into orbit.
Japan said it did not try to intercept the rocket, a move North Korea had warned would be tantamount to an act of war, but that it overflew the country and reached airspace above the Pacific Ocean.
Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Takeo Kawamura, said that even if the object launched was a satellite, it would violate United Natons resolutions on North Korean ballistic missile activity. |
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U.N. emergency meeting " With this provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations " US President Obama United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, a South Korean, said: "Given the volatility in the region, as well as a stalemate in interaction among the concerned parties, such a launch is not conducive to efforts to promote dialogue, regional peace and stability."
"It is extremely regrettable that North Korea went ahead with the launch... and we protest strongly," Kawamura said.
But Pyongyang said that even a debate about its launch in the U.N. Security Council—let alone any sanctions—would cause the breakdown of long-running six-nation nuclear disarmament talks.
South Korea's Unification Minister Hyun In-Taek met his deputies to check on the safety of citizens in North Korea. Seoul advised its roughly 580 nationals in North Korea to leave the country during the launch period.
South Korea called the move "reckless" and said the rocket was carrying a satellite.
U.S. President Barack Obama called on Sunday for North Korea to refrain from further "provocative actions" and said its launch of a Taepodong-2 missile violated U.N. rules.
"With this provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations," Obama said in a statement released from Prague, where he is traveling. |
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Tracking the rocket Japan did not intercept the North Korean missile that flew over its airspace American, Japanese and South Korean warships with missile tracking Aegis equipment were deployed to monitor the launch, which the North insists is part of a peaceful space program.
Russia also said it had deployed advanced S-300 air defense systems in its islands by the Korean peninsula to track the rocket and insure debris did not fall on its territory. Russia confirmed today the rocket was launched.
The Japanese government said there were no reports of any damage or injuries in Japan from the launch, and that the rocket's boosters landed in the water as had been expected.
Analysts say North Korea wants good film footage of a launch as part of plans to maximize its propaganda value.
The regime is seen as eager to give its people news of a technological triumph to bolster support at a time of lingering uncertainty over the health of leader Kim Jong-Il. |
