UN condemns sinking of S. Korean warship

The United Nations yesterday condemned the sinking of a South Korean warship but stopped short of blaming the attack on the North, prompting Pyongyang to claim a "great diplomatic victory".

North Korea's ambassador to the UN swiftly welcomed the statement and said his country would continue to take part in six-party nuclear talks which have been stalled since Pyongyang left the negotiating table in April 2009.

In its statement, the UN Security Council condemned the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in the Yellow Sea in March, with the loss of 46 lives.

The declaration also "underscores the importance of preventing such further attacks or hostilities against the ROK (South Korea)," while praising Seoul for the "restraint" it has shown in the months following the attack.

But despite pressure from Seoul and the US, the text did not directly blame North Korea for the March 26 attack close to a disputed border.

A multinational inquiry found a North Korean torpedo sunk the ship, but North Korea (DPRK) has consistently denied any involvement.

And the UN text merely stated that in view of the findings of the investigation "which concluded that the DPRK was responsible for sinking the Cheonan, the Security Council expresses its deep concern."

Pyongyang has made its "position very clear that this incident has nothing to do with us," said ambassador to the UN Sin Son-ho, adding the statement was "our great diplomatic victory."

North Korea will "consistently make our efforts to conclude a peace treaty and continue the denuclearisation process on the Korean peninsula through the six-party talks," he added.

Just hours before the UN declaration, the North's military proposed holding working talks at the truce village of Panmunjom on Tuesday, to discuss the possible opening of general-level talks with the United States.

After bolting the six-way nuclear talks last year, North Korea defiantly staged its second atomic weapons test the following month, resulting in tougher UN sanctions.

It has continued to insist these should be lifted before talks can resume, and also said it wanted a US commitment to hold discussions about a permanent peace treaty between the two sides.

But UN chief Ban Ki-moon voiced hope in May that a prompt UN Security Council response to the sinking of a South Korean warship would spur resumption of the talks aimed at denuclearising the tense Korean peninsula.

Seoul quickly welcomed the statement. Foreign ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun quoted by the Yonhap news agency said the declaration "carries significant meaning" as it was adopted "with a united voice and emphasised the importance of preventing additional provocations".

In Japan, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada called the UN's action "a clear message of the international community about a North Korean attack."

The UN statement had been already approved by the council's five permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, and was then adopted unanimously by all 15 members.