Five nations, Japan to meet on DPRK launch

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-07 08:43

UNITED NATIONS -- The five permanent members (P5) of the UN Security Council and Japan are scheduled to meet on Tuesday afternoon on the rocket launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Japanese UN Ambassador Yukio Takasu said here on Monday.

Five nations, Japan to meet on DPRK launch

Yukio Takasu, Japan's Ambassador to the United Nations, addresses the media at the UN headquarters in New York, the United Nations, April 6, 2009. [Xinhua]

The Japanese ambassador made the statement as he was out of a meeting with his colleagues from the P5 -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, who began their closed-door meeting here on Monday afternoon.

"We have a tentative time but it depends on how quickly get instructions (from capitals) but probably in the course of tomorrow afternoon," Takasu said.

"This afternoon the P5 and Japan met Ambassador (Claude) Hellerto compare the notes we have received overnight from capitals on the basis of yesterday's consultation," Takasu said. "In my view there was a broad understanding among all these people that the session rising from the launch of the DPRK is a very serious one and the council requires clear and strong an quick response. That I think is a positive development."

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Heller is the Mexican permanent representative to the United Nations, who holds the rotating Security Council presidency for April.

"As to what is the most appropriate format and content, we have discussed quite extensively but still we have no convergence at this stage," he said. "Therefore, we agreed to report everything what happened at this meeting and seek for fresh instructions from our capitals. And on that basis we are going to meet again."

Meanwhile, the British UN ambassador, John Sawears, told reporters here that "We are seeking strong reaction. We are discussing."

The Security Council held an emergency session on Sunday afternoon, it ended up with no collective response to the Sunday rocket launch by the DPRK, but members of the 15-nation council agreed to continue their consultations on the issue.