The United States said today that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had adopted a resolution demanding that North Korea urgently comply with nuclear safeguards, and immediately welcomed the move.
US Assistant Secretary of State for non-proliferation Mr John Wolf said that the Vienna-based body had adopted the text. But there was no immediate announcement from the IAEA that the draft resolution had been adopted as scheduled by the organisation's board of governors which was meeting today.
"North Korea has taken dangerous, unprecedented, irresponsible and unilateral actions that exacerbate its long-standing non-compliance," Mr Wolf said. "North Korea is the first country in history to unilaterally disable IAEA safeguards," he said.
IAEA chief Mr Mohammed El Baradei earlier demanded that North Korea honour its agreement not to produce nuclear weapons in order to end the current "unsustainable situation".
"The agency is regrettably at present unable ... to verify that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is not diverting nuclear material to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices," Mt El Baradei said.
"This is clearly an unsustainable situation and sets a dangerous precedent," he said at the opening of the IAEA board of governors in Vienna.
Mr Wolf said that Mr ElBaradei had been mandated by the board to send a letter to North Korea urging top officials to convene talks with him on the crisis, sparked by Pyongyang's pursuit of twin nuclear programs.
AFP