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UN Security Council meets on DPRK rocket launch
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-06 10:38

UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council on Sunday afternoon began to meet behind closed doors to discuss how to respond to the rocket launch of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as the United States seeks "a strong collective action" and France wants to see "unanimous action."

UN Security Council meets on DPRK rocket launch
The Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Zhang Yesui speaks to reporters outside Security Council chambers after an emergency meeting at UN headquarters in New York, the United States, April 5, 2009. [Xinhua] 

The 15-nation Council kicked off the emergency session at about 3:15 p.m. EDT (1915 GMT) on Sunday at the request of the Japanese Mission to the United Nations.

The US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told reporters here shortly before the beginning of the meeting that Washington calls for "a strong collective action" from the Security Council.

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"We have been in consultation today with our allies in the region, and other partners in the Security Council," Rice said before she entered the Security Council chamber.

"The session today provides us a valuable opportunity to pursue the consultation and work toward an agreement on a strong collective action," said the US ambassador.

Also speaking to the press here, French UN Ambassador Jean- Maurice Ripert said that the Security Council "should act in a unanimous way" after the rocket launch by the DPRK.

France, together with Britain, the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK), has already begun to ponder over a draft resolution to be presented to the emergency Council meeting, diplomats said here earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, the Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations Yukio Takasu told reporters here: "We have made serious diplomatic efforts together with interested countries, and urged the DPRK not to go ahead with the launch because it threatens regional stability."

"But we really worried about the possible danger," he said. "Thank god it didn't fall anything on Japan. But it doesn't change the situation. It threatens international peace and security situation, not only Japan."

The DPRK official media reported on Sunday that the country successfully launched a rocket carrying a communications satellite, while South Korean and Russian news agencies also said it was a satellite launch.

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