Nuclear Test Draws Worldwide Condemnation,United Nations Proposal Seeks Tough Sanctions
The world got an unwelcome addition to the nuclear club - and heard an ominous exception to the universal outcry.After a week of pleas to stop, North Korea announced Monday it had followed through on its threat of staging an underground test of an atomic bomb, setting off warnings by friend and foe alike that the nuclear age had reached a dangerous new level.

Even before Washington could confirm the test, President Bush called Pyongyang's announcement "a threat to international peace and security." He demanded an "immediate response" from the U.N. Security Council and proposed even tougher sanctions - but no military action - against the impoverished communist regime.

Japan's U.N. Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, the Security Council president, said all members agreed that the response "should be strong, swift and very, very clear in its message and its action."

One notable voice, though, was missing from the condemnation about North Korea becoming the ninth country to have nuclear weapons, joining the United States, Russia, France, Britain, India, Pakistan, China and - though never acknowledged - Israel.

The country believed to be the next prospective member - Iran - watched the reaction and sympathized that the reclusive communist nation had been goaded into it by American "threats and humiliation."

World leaders worried that Iran would be encouraged by North Korea's success, even though Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes to be used for nuclear energy.President Bush's Statement,"Once again, North Korea has defied the will of the international community and the international community will respond."
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Russia was the only country to say it had "no doubts" over the North Korean claim, but the U.S. and other experts said the explosion was smaller than expected and they had yet to confirm it was nuclear.

But the reaction of world governments reflected little doubt that they were treating the announcement as fact.

The U.N. Security Council condemned the announcement, urging Pyongyang to return to stalled talks, refrain from further tests and keep its pledge to scrap its clandestine weapons program.

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton and key allies Britain and France also said they would seek tough new U.N. sanctions against the North.

The United States circulated a draft U.N. resolution late Monday that would condemn North Korea's nuclear test and impose tough sanctions on the reclusive communist nation for its "flagrant disregard" of the Security Council's appeal not to detonate a device.

The draft, obtained by The Associated Press, prohibits all trade in military and luxury goods and prevents "any abuses of the international financial system" that could contribute to the transfer or development of banned weapons.

It would also ban all countries from allowing any North Korean ships in their ports or any North Korean aircraft from taking off or landing in their territory.

But just how long it will take the council's 15 members to agree on a resolution remains to be seen.

Council experts started discussing the proposals in meetings Monday afternoon, but it was unclear whether China and Russia - the North's closest allies - would support some of the tough measures, which also include international inspection of all cargo to and from North Korea to limit the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and to ban any material that could be used in the production of weapons of mass destruction.

Before the experts meeting, the ambassadors from the five veto-wielding council nations - the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China - met with Oshima.