Russia blocks UN condemnation of North Korea's missile launch

Russian diplomats have objected to a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemnation of North Korea's recent missile launch, saying the US-drafted statement referred to it as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Russia's UN mission said in an email to its Security Council colleagues on Thursday that Moocow believed Pyongyang fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Tuesday.

"The rationale is that based on our (Ministry of Defense’s) assessment we cannot confirm that the missile can be classified as an ICBM," the mission said, adding, "Therefore we are not in a position to agree to this classification on behalf of the whole council since there is no consensus on this issue."

According to the draft statement, the council would start work on "further significant measures" against North Korea. 

The UNSC statements have to be agreed by all 15-members. It was not immediately clear if the US would continue to negotiate with Russia in an effort to reach a council consensus on a statement of condemnation.

The council met on Wednesday to discuss the missile launch by North Korea.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi have already urged dialogue and restraint to cool down the current confrontations on the Korean Peninsula.

The two diplomats said in a recent joint statement that the international community should take collective measures to settle the current crisis peacefully instead of pushing it to an armed conflict.

Russia and China have also called on North Korea, South Korea and the United States to sign up to a Chinese de-escalation plan designed to defuse tensions around Pyongyang's missile program. The plan would see North Korea suspend its ballistic missile program and the United States and South Korea simultaneously call a moratorium on large-scale military exercises.

SS