UN council discusses move to enforce North Korea sanctions

UN Security Council diplomats were negotiating a draft statement that would push for tough sanctions on North Korea to be enforced worldwide after Pyongyang's latest test firing of medium range missiles.

The draft statement requests that all UN member states report no later than May 31st on the concrete measures they have taken to implement the sanctions resolution.

It directs a UN sanctions committee to intensify its work to strengthen enforcement of resolution 2270,



which was adopted in March after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test and fired a rocket.

The United States requested the meeting after a series of test firings and as fears grew that the secretive country is preparing to conduct a fifth nuclear test.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi, who holds the council presidency this month, told reporters that work was continuing on the statement which must be unanimously agreed by the 15 council members to be released.