Matthew Rycroft, British ambassador the United Nations, recommended a series of steps the council can take in response to North Korea’s test on nuclear weapons.
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And while she praised Obama’s “call to both strengthen the sanctions passed earlier this year with the United Nations and to impose additional sanctions”, she also hinted at some distance between them, urging the USA to “make sure” China will “meaningfully increase pressure on North Korea”.
Reports emerged Thursday that North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear bomb test, causing a magnitude-5.3 natural disaster near the experimentation site. She also said the United States must ensure China applies increasing pressure on North Korea, and she noted that regional allies such as South Korea and Japan play a critical role in missile defense.
Obama said he consulted with South Korea President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by telephone after he was informed of North Korea’s claim to have conducted a “higher level” nuclear test explosion earlier in the day.
Friday’s test was condemned by several countries including the USA, where Secretary of State John Kerry warned Washington was ready to work with allies to stave off threats.
The test prompted new sanctions from the United Nations, affecting almost every sector of the government and economy.
In Seoul, dozens of protesters burned an effigy of the North’s leader Kim Jong-Un and North Korean flags and called for “strong retaliation”, including pre-emptive attacks on the North’s nuclear complex.
“I think we should condemn it first of all and then we will see what we can do”, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters.
Beijing strongly condemned the test, but has limited room to maneuver.
US officials hold on strongly to the opinion that China plays a crucial role in stopping North Korea’s nuclear program, and Carter’s comments reinforce that belief.
Despite a number of failed missile tests this year, North Korea’s nuclear ambitions have barely been mentioned in this year’s US presidential race.
North Korean TV described the detonation as a step into making the country more able to putting nuclear warheads on rockets.
It did not directly mention Friday’s nuclear test.
It said the test proved North Korea was capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on a medium-range ballistic missile.
The dictatorial nation has wilfully violated five UN nuclear sanctions, including trade and banking restrictions, which have been imposed on the country since it detonated its first nuclear device in 2006.
The Arizona Republican went on to say, “It won’t be long before North Korea can threaten the United States very effectively”.
Mr Carter said the nuclear test would strengthen resolve to bolster defences in South Korea, including deployment of US THAAD anti-missile units and radars.
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Japan and several other council members are calling for new sanctions, but China has repeatedly stressed the need to avoid an escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula.
