Hailing the latest UN Security Council resolution that imposes toughest-ever sanctions on North Korea, US President Barack Obama today said the international community has sent a strong and united message that Pyongyang must abandon the dangerous nuclear weapons programmes.
"Today, the international community, speaking with one voice, has sent Pyongyang a simple message: North Korea must abandon these dangerous programs and choose a better path for its people," Obama said in a statement after UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution.
The resolution UNSCR 2270, the toughest sanction on North Korea in two decades, imposes a ban or severe restrictions on exports of coal, iron and iron ore, gold, titanium and rare earth minerals from the reclusive country and prohibits the supply of aviation fuel including rocket fuel.
The resolution imposes significant costs on North Korea in response to its January 6 nuclear test and February 7 missile launch.
"This resolution levies strong new sanctions aimed at halting Pyongyang's efforts to advance its weapons of mass destruction programs," he said, adding he has consistently said that the North Korea would face consequences for its actions.
"I welcome this resolution as a firm, united, and appropriate response by the international community to the DPRK's recent provocations that flagrantly violated multiple Security Council resolutions," Obama said.
At the UN headquarters in New York, the US Ambassador to the World Body, Samantha Power said it is important that the resolution, and all the tough measures it includes, has been adopted with the support of all 15 members of the Security Council.
"In particular, the United States would like to recognise the leadership of China, which has worked closely with us in negotiating this extremely rigorous resolution," she said.
"Beyond the Council, it is worth noting the unanimity among, and leadership by, the countries in the region - China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea - who understand so clearly the threat to our shared security posed by the DPRK's (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) actions," she said.
The fact that this resolution has been co-sponsored by 50 member states drawn from every region in the world, demonstrates both the recognition of the global threat posed by North Korea, and the international community's commitment to working together to address that threat, Power said.
