U.S. proposes sanctions against N. Korea

[helderheid]

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer 11 minutes ago

UNITED NATIONS - The United States proposed stringent U.N. sanctions Monday against
North Korea after it said it had performed a nuclear test, including a trade ban on military and luxury items, the power to inspect all cargo entering or leaving the country, and freezing assets connected with its weapons programs.

Security council members earlier condemned North Korea for its reported nuclear test, demanding at an emergency meeting that the communist nation return to six-party talks on its weapons program, U.N. ambassadors said.

The U.S. proposals were among several ideas for a Security Council resolution that the United States shared with council diplomats after North Korea announced that it had set off an atomic explosion underground. A copy of the document was obtained by The Associated Press.

The document says that the United States wants the resolution to fall under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which deals explicitly with threats to international peace and security, as well as acts of aggression. Chapter 7 grants the council the authority to impose a range of measures that include breaking diplomatic ties and imposing economic and military sanctions to taking military action.

Military action, however, is far from anyone's minds.

"We believe that highly provocative act requires a very strong resolution explicitly under Chapter 7 that provides for sanctions against the North Korean regime," the document said.

Among the proposals were to:

• Prohibit trade in materials that could be used to make or deliver weapons of mass destruction.

• Require states to make sure that North Korea not use their territory or entities for proliferation or illicit activities. Financial transactions that North Korea could use to support those programs would also be banned.

• Require states to freeze all assets related to North Korea's weapons and missile programs, as well as any other illicit activities it conducts.

• Authorize inspection of all cargo to and from North Korea to limit proliferation.

• Ban trade with North Korea in luxury goods and military items

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061009/ap_on_re_as/un_korea;_ylt=Ag9o6hhMVnnpGd.AG3l2vMOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b3JuZGZhBHNlYwM3MjE-

[kurth]

1. "Ban trade with North Korea in luxury goods"

No more Louis Vuittons for them!