NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Wednesday condemned the launch of a rocket by North Korea, calling it "provocative" and a violation of United Nations resolutions. "I strongly condemn North Korea's launch," Rasmussen said in a statement quoted by DPA. "This provocative act exacerbates tensions in the region and risks further destabilizing the Korean Peninsula." He said the military alliance urges Pyongyang to "fulfill their obligations under international law, to comply fully with the will of the international community as expressed by the UN Security Council and the moratorium on missile launches." NATO ambassadors had a week earlier already expressed "grave concern" after North Korea announced its intent to launch the rocket. Pyongyang says it put a satellite in orbit.
