West Seeks Wider North Korea Sanctions List

The United States, South Korea, Japan and European countries have proposed dozens of North Korean firms and entities be added to a U.N. sanctions list over the isolated state's rocket launch, diplomats said Tuesday.

But with fears growing that North Korea is now about to stage a nuclear weapon test, the deadline for agreeing to new sanctions may be put back because China, the North's closest ally, has not yet agreed to the measures, diplomats said.

The European Union has sent the U.N. sanctions committee a list of about 40 names, the United States more than 40, while South Korea and Japan have proposed about 20 each, diplomats said.

The lists include at least one North Korean bank and several trading companies as well as new sensitive technology that could be used on missile or nuclear work, the diplomats said.

There is some overlap between the lists, however, so the final number of entities that could be slapped with sanctions was not immediately known.

The U.N. Security Council ordered new entities and goods to be added to sanctions lists and a review of measures to be decided after North Korea staged a failed rocket launch on April 13. Its 15 day deadline should run out at midnight New York time on Tuesday.

Security Council diplomats held negotiations on the sanctions on Tuesday but they said China has not yet made its offer to the list or given its green light to the proposals made by other countries.

A council statement which ordered the review said that if there was no decision in 15 days then the issue would be sent to the full 15-member Security Council.

"We might give them (China) a couple more days, but then we will have a discussion" at the Security Council, a senior Western diplomat said.

"The Chinese want to keep the sanctions to an absolute minimum. We want to enlarge the sanctions measures to some entities and some goods," the diplomat said.

There is strong suspicion that North Korea will follow up the rocket launch failure with a nuclear test, as it did in 2006 and 2009. Satellite photos show work underway at its underground test site.

Western nations have indicated that if a nuclear test is carried out they will press for a formal Security Council resolution of condemnation and more sanctions. China has not yet indicated how it will react.