Russia Sees Referral of DPRK Nuclear Issue to UN 'Premature'

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, February 13, 2003

Russia Sees Referral of DPRK Nuclear Issue to UN 'Premature'

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The decision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to take the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the UN Security Council is premature, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"The Russian side believes that moving this question on to the UN Security Council at this time is premature and counterproductive," the ministry said in a statement.

The IAEA decision "will not lead to a constructive and honest dialogue between the concerned sides, who are aiming to find a peaceful solution to the situation on the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.

Moscow's comment came after the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog agency, passed a resolution in Vienna Wednesday declaring the DPRKin "non-compliance" with UN safeguards and decided to send the issue to the UN Security Council.

Russia abstained in the vote at the meeting of IAEA's 35-nationBoard of Governors, the statement said.

The UN Security Council is due to meet on Feb. 18 to discuss the issue, reports from the UN headquarters in New York confirmed.

The DPRK announced its withdrawal from the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) last month, but in the meantime stressed it has no intention to develop nuclear weapons. It also warned that any decision to impose sanctions on the country would be viewed as a "declaration of war."

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