The United States on Thursday introduced a new draft resolution in the U.N. Security Council to punish North Korea for its reported nuclear test and said it wanted a vote on Friday. Russia urged the United States not to hurry the vote, saying Moscow still had differences and the United States should wait for the results of several high-level diplomatic meetings around the world. China backed Russia's call, saying Beijing would welcome more talks so that the Security Council could send a united and forceful message to Pyongyang condemning the test. After formally introducing the resolution in the Security Council, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told reporters that the United States wants a vote on Friday. "I think the council should try to respond to a nuclear test within the same week that the test occurred." "We're certainly in favor of keeping all the diplomatic channels open, but we also want swift action, and we shouldn't allow meetings and more meetings to be an excuse for inaction," Bolton said. The United States and Japan initially hoped for a vote Thursday. But if they want to get agreement from China and Russia the two countries closest to isolated North Korea a vote is likely to be delayed until next week. Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said a high-level Chinese representative was traveling to Moscow for talks Friday and Saturday, and Russia's deputy foreign minister is in the region. So there is a lot of diplomatic activity going on, and we hope it will produce a good product, he told reporters. A special envoy of Chinese President Hu Jintao met President George W. Bush in Washington, and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun is due Friday in Beijing for top leaders. Like the original U.S. draft circulated Monday, the new one would condemn the nuclear test, demand that North Korea immediately return to six-nation talks without preconditions, and impose sanctions for Pyongyang s flagrant disregard of the council s appeal to not conduct a nuclear test. The new draft also would encourage all concerned countries to intensify their diplomatic efforts to facilitate the early resumption o the six-party talks, with a view to achieving the verifiable de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to maintaining peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and in northeast Asia.
