World powers

World powers urge North Korea to refrain from nuclear test

5/3/2012

(Reuters) - The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council urged North Korea on Thursday to refrain from any new nuclear tests amid speculation Pyongyang may soon carry out such an explosion.
North Korea, which tested plutonium devices in 2006 and 2009, has almost completed preparations for a third nuclear test, a senior source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters last month.

"We...call on (North Korea) to refrain from further actions which may cause grave security concerns in the region, including any nuclear tests," said a joint statement by the United States, France, Russia, China and Britain delivered at a nuclear meeting in Vienna.

The isolated state sacrificed the chance of closer ties with the United States after it tried to test-launch a
long-range rocket on April 13 and was censured by the U.N. Security Council.

The five world powers expressed "serious concern" over last month's launch by North Korea.

Pyongyang has long argued that in the face of a hostile United States, which has military bases in South Korea and Japan, it needs a nuclear arsenal to defend itself.

Six-party aid-for-disarmament talks involving the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, Russia, and China, have been stalled since 2008 when the North walked away from the deal.

"We reaffirm our firm support for the resumption of the six party talks at an appropriate time," Thursday's statement said.

(Reporting by Fredrik Dahl; Editing by Angus MacSwan)