The United States wants the U.N. Security Council to authorize international inspections of cargo entering and leaving North Korea to check for weapons of mass destruction or related materials, diplomats said Monday. U.S. Ambassador John Bolton presented the council with 13 elements of a resolution the United States is drafting in response to Pyongyang s nuclear weapon test, participants in a closed council session said on condition of anonymity. Other proposals include a total arms embargo and a freeze on assets associated with Pyongyang s possible weapons of mass destruction, the diplomats said. The Security Council already has imposed weapons-related sanctions on North Korea, and many of Bolton s proposals would repeat or strengthen those measures. Security Council members are considering a resolution later Monday, but it is not known whether China and Russia will approve further sanctions, though they condemned Pyongyang s test. The United States launched the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) in 2003 with the aim of encouraging member countries to share intelligence and train to intercept weapons from North Korea, Iran, and other states of concern. Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand are the only Asia-Pacific countries to publicly back the PSI, though the group said it has support from 60 nations.
