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US, China agree North Korea draft sanctions resolution

A picture released by the South Korean news agency Yonhap on February 7, 2016 shows North Korea's rocket launch of Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite. (AFP)

The US and China have reached an agreement over a draft resolution aimed at tightening UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea over its recent nuclear test.

"It's a substantive, long, full draft... which I hope will be adopted in the coming days…There is an agreement between those two countries," a senior Security Council member was quoted by Reuters as saying on Wednesday.

The agreement, which was reached after overcoming "a significant number of blockage points" following seven weeks of negotiations between Washington and Beijing, will be presented to the rest of the 15-member council over the next few days, the council member said.

The diplomat, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, refrained from giving further details about the resolution.

On January 6, the North conducted its fourth nuclear test, an action which drew differing responses from the US and China. The former called for severe punitive measures and the latter urged further negotiations with Pyongyang in accordance to non-proliferation regulations.

North Korea, which is under UN sanctions over its nuclear tests and missiles launches, declared itself a nuclear power in 2005 and has carried out three other nuclear weapons tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

It also launched a long-range rocket earlier this month reportedly aimed at placing an earth observation satellite into orbit. However, the US and South Korea denounced the move as a cover for an intercontinental ballistic missile test.​

Apart from a UN arms embargo the North is prohibited from importing and exporting missile and nuclear technologies and is banned from importing luxury goods.


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