World goes ballistic over North Korean launch

TOKYO/SEOUL – North Korea fired a long-range rocket yesterday provoking international outrage and prompting the UN Security Council to call an emergency meeting.

The reclusive communist state said a satellite was launched into orbit and circled the earth transmitting revolutionary songs. But both the US military and South Korea said it had failed to enter orbit.
Analysts say the launch was effectively a test of a ballistic missile designed to carry a warhead potentially as far as Alaska.
It was the first big challenge for US President Barack Obama in dealing with the North, whose efforts to build a nuclear arsenal have long plagued ties with Washington.
‘With this provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations,’ Obama said, speaking on a European tour.
Addressing a crowd in Prague, Obama committed himself to reducing the US nuclear arsenal and said Washington would seek to engage all nuclear weapons states in arms reduction efforts.
Obama remained committed to talks to ‘denuclearise’ North Korea, the White House said.
South Korea branded the launch of the rocket a ‘reckless’ act, Japan said it was ‘extremely regrettable’ and the European Union strongly condemned Pyongyang’s step. Nato condemned it as ‘highly provocative’.
‘This is a regime that has placed itself outside international law,’ French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.
‘There is only one response possible: the union of the international community must punish a regime that doesn’t respect any international rules.’
China, the nearest the North has to a major ally, and Russia called on all sides for calm and restraint.
The UN Security Council was due to hold consultations on the launch at 15h00 yesterday.
The United States, Japan and South Korea see the launch as a violation of a Security Council resolution passed in 2006 after Pyongyang’s nuclear test and other missile tests. That resolution, number 1718, demands North Korea ‘suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programme’.
Both Russia and China have made clear they would block new sanctions by the Security Council, where they have veto power.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi called officials in the United States, Russia, Japan and South Korea to discuss the launch, the Foreign Ministry said.
‘All sides ought to look at the big picture (and) avoid taking actions which may exacerbate the situation further,’ a Chinese statement said.
The North Korean launch was unsuccessful but that did not change the response the United States is seeking at the United Nations, a US official said.
Washington, Seoul and Tokyo had said before the launch that in reality it would be a test of the Taepodong-2 missile, which is designed to fly an estimated 6 700 kms.
The US Northern Command said stage one of the missile fell into the Sea of Japan and the remaining stages along with the payload landed in the Pacific Ocean. No debris fell on Japan.
The command assessed the launch vehicle was not a threat to North America or Hawaii and took no action in response.
– Nampa- Reuters