CNN (USA), REUTERS, AFP, UN PRESS OFFICE
NEW YORK - The United States and China have struck a tentative deal on a draft UN Security Council sanctions resolution to punish North Korea for the nuclear test it conducted last month.
A deal, the details of which have not been revealed so far, was agreed on late Monday after "tough talks" between the two countries, a UN envoy is quoted as saying by the AFP. It is still unclear whether diplomats will receive a draft resolution at Tuesday’s council session in New York.
"I hope to see a draft tomorrow perhaps, but you know it's up to the Americans," a UN diplomat told Reuters late Monday, while another told AFP: "There won't be a vote on Tuesday, but it could come soon. This is a sign that a draft resolution is about to be handed out."
The UN press office announced that Russia, which holds the presidency of the 15-nation Security Council this month, would conduct closed-door consultations on North Korea in New York on Tuesday morning.
In February, North Korea conducted its third and most powerful nuclear test at a northeastern underground test site, prompting widespread international condemnation, as well as a promise of tough action at the United Nations, CNN recalls.
