UNSC tightens sanctions against N Korea over rocket launch

United Nations: Strongly condemning the attempted rocket launch by North Korea, the UN Security Council has tightened sanctions against Pyongyang, ordering new “entities and items” to be added to the black list. In a presidential statement yesterday, the powerful 15-nation body said it “deplores that such a launch has caused grave security concerns in the region.” US envoy to the UN Susan Rice, president of the UNSC this month, said the statement also provides for new sanctions. [caption id=“attachment_278177” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Reuters”]  [/caption] The Security Council has directed its North Korea Sanctions Committee to “designate additional entities and items,” including North Korean companies, to be subject to an asset freeze, as well as to identify additional proliferation-sensitive technology to be banned for transfer to or from North Korea. “The Committee will also take several other actions to improve enforcement of existing sanctions,” Rice said. Condemning the attempted launch of the “application satellite,” the UNSC said the action as well as any other use of ballistic missile technology is a serious violation of the United Nations resolutions. The statement came after North Korea’s Friday launch of the satellite, which reportedly rose for less than two minutes before exploding and plunging into the sea near the Korean peninsula. The Council demanded that North Korea refrain from any further launches using ballistic missile technology and to comply with previous resolutions by suspending all activities related to the country’s ballistic missile programme. Pyongyang must also re-establish its commitments to a moratorium on missile launches, the Council stressed. PTI