MOSCOW, April 9 (RIA Novosti) - New UN Security
Council sanctions against North Korea could embitter Pyongyang
and push it to take inappropriate measures, the Russian Foreign
Ministry said Thursday.
"Resolutions 1695 and 1718 have already been adopted by
the UN Security Council, and we believe they are quite
sufficient," spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said.
"Tightening sanctions could have the opposite effect and
inflict irreparable damage to the six-party talks, isolate and
embitter North Korea even more, and provoke it to take
inappropriate and retaliatory measures," he said.
North Korea on Sunday launched a multistage rocket that it
said was carrying a communications satellite, defying pressure
from the United States, Japan, South Korea and other countries,
which suspect the launch was a cover for a test of a
Taepodong-2 long-range missile.
The 15-member Security Council convened for an emergency
meeting late on Sunday at Japan's request, but strong
opposition from Russia and China prevented the adoption of even
a preliminary statement condemning the launch.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that
Moscow was concerned by Pyongyang's recent rocket launch, but
believes that imposing sanctions against North Korea would be
counterproductive.
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