By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
The Council of Presidents of the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday reiterated its support for a resolution adopted by the U.N. Security Council that imposes sanctions on North Korea for its May 25 nuclear test.
Prime Minister Han Seung-soo co-chaired a special meeting in Seoul of the council comprising former presidents of the U.N. General Assembly. They discussed various issues, including the North Korean nuclear issue, climate change and the global economic downturn.
Eight former presidents attended the Seoul meeting, including Han, Julian Hunte and Srgjan Kerim. Han assumed the presidency between 2001 and 2002.
In a statement, dubbed the Seoul Statement, the council ``expressed its grave concern regarding the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) recent nuclear test which poses a serious threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia as well as the international non-proliferation regime.''
It reaffirmed that the six-way talks should continue in order to be a useful framework for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.
The secretive state conducted a nuclear test and test-fired short-range missiles last month, which resulted in stronger sanctions from the U.N..
The sanctions include an arms embargo and searches of North Korean vessels suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) or their constituent materials.
The resolution also seeks to impose strict financial sanctions, stipulating the freezing of assets and finances that can contribute to the spread of WMDs and missile programs.
``The global community, in particular the U.N. General Assembly, needs to demonstrate to the DPRK in a firm manner that its clear provocations lead to dangerous consequences,'' the Seoul Statement said.
In a speech, Han said, ``The implications of North Korea's nuclear test are not confined to the Korean Peninsula alone. It is raising tension in Northeast Asia and across the globe.''
North Korea threatened it would never rejoin the multilateral talks after the U.N. condemned it in April.
The council was established in 1997.