UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council on Saturday voted unanimously to impose sanctions against North Korea in response to the country's claimed nuclear test.
The 15-0 vote for Resolution 1718 sent a "clear and strong message" to North Korea, said U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton.
"We are pleased that the Security Council is united in condemning the actions by the regime and Pyongyang and taking clear, firm and punitive action in passing this resolution," he said.
The passage of the resolution proves to "North Korea and others that the Security Council is prepared to meet threats to international security with swift resolve," Bolton added.
Invited to join the council with his South Korean counterpart, North Korea's ambassador to the U.N. said his country "totally rejects the unjust resolution."
Pak Gil Yon called the resolution "coercive ... while neglecting the nuclear threat" he said was posed by the United States against his country.
He said that the nuclear test that was conducted on October 9 "was entirely attributable to the United States' nuclear threat, sanctions and pressure."
The vote was scheduled soon after negotiators agreed on the sticking point of cargo inspections, the language over which China had expressed some concerns earlier.
Rather than mandating stop and search operations, "the resolution will say to countries to inspect as necessary all goods going in and out of North Korea," CNN's Richard Roth reported.
The aim is to stop materials and technology that could be used for nuclear weapons production from going to or from North Korea.
In his remarks after the resolution's passage, Chinese Ambassador to the U.N. Wang Guangya urged restraint in carrying out the resolution's stop and search provisions.
He said that all parties must "avoid any acts that may cause escalation of tension" in the region.
Diplomats from the five permanent council members plus Japan gathered in closed-door meetings Saturday morning to reach agreement.
While details of the draft resolution were incomplete, diplomats said it could prevent materials for weapons programs and luxury goods from being sold to North Korea.
The language is directed at North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who has a long, documented record of living a life of luxury while his people wasted away in famine. On Friday Bolton said, "The North Korean population's been losing average height and weight over the years, and maybe this will be a little diet for Kim Jong Il."
Earlier Saturday President Bush urged the adoption of a "strong" U.N. Security Council resolution, saying "peace and security in northeast Asia and a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula" are the goals.
"We will do what is necessary to achieve these goals. We will support our allies in the region. We will work with the United Nations, and together we will ensure that North Korea faces real consequences if it continues down its current path," Bush said in his weekly radio address.
He said the United States will increase its defense alliances with Japan and South Korea, including cooperation on ballistic missile defense and the prevention of North Korea from importing and exporting nuclear or missile technologies.
On Friday the Japanese Cabinet approved wide-ranging sanctions against North Korea.
North Korea claimed Monday it had tested a nuclear weapon, although the claim has not yet been verified. Some analysts have questioned whether the test was successful.
A preliminary analysis of air samples from North Korea shows "radioactive debris consistent with a North Korea nuclear test," according to a statement sent to U.S. lawmakers Friday from the office of Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte.
If the evidence is confirmed, the United States would be in a position to say the North Korean test was nuclear, a U.S. official told CNN Friday.
Two U.S. government officials with access to classified information earlier told CNN that an initial air sampling showed no indication of radioactive debris.
Pyongyang's claim sparked international condemnation.
To build support for the resolution, the United States has agreed to some changes. They include dropping a ban on North Korean imports and exempting money intended for purchases of food and medicine from a freeze on North Korean assets. Language encouraging further diplomatic efforts also was added to the latest version.
However, the U.S. proposal still calls for an arms embargo and a ban on materials that could be used in nuclear or missiles programs. The proposal also seeks a ban on travel by North Korean officials, an embargo on luxury goods and inspections of cargo imports and exports.
China has expressed concern that because the proposed sanctions fall under Section 7 of the U.N. Charter, which makes them binding on all member states, they could lead to a blockade or even military action to enforce them.
Versions of the draft resolution late Friday ruled out military action against North Korea, in response to pressure from China and Russia, the AP reported.
Rice mission
As the council members met in New York, word came that North Korea may consider resuming six-nation talks aimed at resolving the nuclear dispute.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev and North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gye-gwan "discussed opportunities to resume the six-nation process and the settlement of the problem of a full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula by peaceful and diplomatic means," Russia's Foreign Ministry said on its Web site.
The Bush administration has insisted any negotiations with Pyongyang be conducted within the framework of six-party talks among North Korea, the United States, Russia, China, South Korea and Japan. The latest draft of the Security Council resolution calls on North Korea to return to those talks without precondition.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to visit Asia next week to shore up alliances and discuss the North Korean crisis.
Rice is scheduled to be in Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; and Beijing from Tuesday through October 22, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday.
"She's going to be talking about how to go about actually implementing" the expected U.N. resolution, McCormack said.
The 15-0 vote for Resolution 1718 sent a "clear and strong message" to North Korea, said U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton.
"We are pleased that the Security Council is united in condemning the actions by the regime and Pyongyang and taking clear, firm and punitive action in passing this resolution," he said.
The passage of the resolution proves to "North Korea and others that the Security Council is prepared to meet threats to international security with swift resolve," Bolton added.
Invited to join the council with his South Korean counterpart, North Korea's ambassador to the U.N. said his country "totally rejects the unjust resolution."
Pak Gil Yon called the resolution "coercive ... while neglecting the nuclear threat" he said was posed by the United States against his country.
He said that the nuclear test that was conducted on October 9 "was entirely attributable to the United States' nuclear threat, sanctions and pressure."
The vote was scheduled soon after negotiators agreed on the sticking point of cargo inspections, the language over which China had expressed some concerns earlier.
Rather than mandating stop and search operations, "the resolution will say to countries to inspect as necessary all goods going in and out of North Korea," CNN's Richard Roth reported.
The aim is to stop materials and technology that could be used for nuclear weapons production from going to or from North Korea.
In his remarks after the resolution's passage, Chinese Ambassador to the U.N. Wang Guangya urged restraint in carrying out the resolution's stop and search provisions.
He said that all parties must "avoid any acts that may cause escalation of tension" in the region.
Diplomats from the five permanent council members plus Japan gathered in closed-door meetings Saturday morning to reach agreement.
While details of the draft resolution were incomplete, diplomats said it could prevent materials for weapons programs and luxury goods from being sold to North Korea.
The language is directed at North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who has a long, documented record of living a life of luxury while his people wasted away in famine. On Friday Bolton said, "The North Korean population's been losing average height and weight over the years, and maybe this will be a little diet for Kim Jong Il."
Earlier Saturday President Bush urged the adoption of a "strong" U.N. Security Council resolution, saying "peace and security in northeast Asia and a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula" are the goals.
"We will do what is necessary to achieve these goals. We will support our allies in the region. We will work with the United Nations, and together we will ensure that North Korea faces real consequences if it continues down its current path," Bush said in his weekly radio address.
He said the United States will increase its defense alliances with Japan and South Korea, including cooperation on ballistic missile defense and the prevention of North Korea from importing and exporting nuclear or missile technologies.
On Friday the Japanese Cabinet approved wide-ranging sanctions against North Korea.
North Korea claimed Monday it had tested a nuclear weapon, although the claim has not yet been verified. Some analysts have questioned whether the test was successful.
A preliminary analysis of air samples from North Korea shows "radioactive debris consistent with a North Korea nuclear test," according to a statement sent to U.S. lawmakers Friday from the office of Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte.
If the evidence is confirmed, the United States would be in a position to say the North Korean test was nuclear, a U.S. official told CNN Friday.
Two U.S. government officials with access to classified information earlier told CNN that an initial air sampling showed no indication of radioactive debris.
Pyongyang's claim sparked international condemnation.
To build support for the resolution, the United States has agreed to some changes. They include dropping a ban on North Korean imports and exempting money intended for purchases of food and medicine from a freeze on North Korean assets. Language encouraging further diplomatic efforts also was added to the latest version.
However, the U.S. proposal still calls for an arms embargo and a ban on materials that could be used in nuclear or missiles programs. The proposal also seeks a ban on travel by North Korean officials, an embargo on luxury goods and inspections of cargo imports and exports.
China has expressed concern that because the proposed sanctions fall under Section 7 of the U.N. Charter, which makes them binding on all member states, they could lead to a blockade or even military action to enforce them.
Versions of the draft resolution late Friday ruled out military action against North Korea, in response to pressure from China and Russia, the AP reported.
Rice mission
As the council members met in New York, word came that North Korea may consider resuming six-nation talks aimed at resolving the nuclear dispute.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev and North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gye-gwan "discussed opportunities to resume the six-nation process and the settlement of the problem of a full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula by peaceful and diplomatic means," Russia's Foreign Ministry said on its Web site.
The Bush administration has insisted any negotiations with Pyongyang be conducted within the framework of six-party talks among North Korea, the United States, Russia, China, South Korea and Japan. The latest draft of the Security Council resolution calls on North Korea to return to those talks without precondition.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to visit Asia next week to shore up alliances and discuss the North Korean crisis.
Rice is scheduled to be in Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; and Beijing from Tuesday through October 22, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday.
"She's going to be talking about how to go about actually implementing" the expected U.N. resolution, McCormack said.
