U.S. still pushing for N. Korea rebuke

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is continuing to push for strong international action against North Korea for Sunday’s long-range rocket launch, a top official said Monday, even though world powers are deeply split on the issue.

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the administration was pushing for a Security Council resolution that is “binding under international law” as part of what she called a “a clear and strong response.” Rice made her comment in a CBS interview.

However, the Security Council was unable to agree even on mild expressions of concern in three hours of talks Sunday, putting the U.S. demand outlined by Rice beyond the likely range of U.N. action.

A Security Council statement Sunday promised instead that diplomats would continue to confer on the issue.

North Korea launched a multistage Taepodong 2 rocket, a move many countries believe was part of Pyongyang’s efforts to master long-range missile capabilities.

Pyongyang, however, said the purpose of the launch was to put a satellite into orbit, an operation it said Monday had succeeded.

But U.S. officials said the rocket had failed to propel a satellite, if there had been one, into orbit. Instead, they and others saw the launch as a disguised test of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

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