Moscow, April 14 (Inditop) Russia Tuesday said it regretted the decision by North Korea to restart its nuclear programme and urged the reclusive state to return to talks.
“We can only express our regret at the decision of North Korea and urge it not to halt six-party talks on the nuclear problem in the Korean Peninsula,” a foreign ministry official said.
The UN Security Council Monday issued a unanimous statement condemning North Korea’s April 5 rocket launch, which many countries suspect was a test of a long-range missile.
Following the UN announcement, North Korea said it would pull out of the six-party international talks and restart its nuclear programme.
The Korean Central News Agency citing a foreign ministry statement said: “There is no need for the six-party (nuclear disarmament) talks any more.”
US President Barack Obama welcomed the UN Security Council statement.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said: “The president welcomes today’s clear and united message by the United Nations Security Council condemning North Korea’s recent launch of a Taepodong-2 missile, confirming that it violates international law and would result in real consequences for North Korea.”
“The United States will continue working with our allies and partners in the six-party talks to achieve the verifiable elimination of North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme and the reduction of tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” Gibbs said.
North Korea claimed the rocket, which was launched over Japan, successfully delivered a communications satellite into orbit, but the US and South Korean militaries said all three stages fell into the ocean and that “no object entered orbit”.
