North Korea did not put satellite in orbit: Russia

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North Korea did not put satellite in orbit: Russia
6 April 2009

MOSCOW - A senior Russian military source on Monday confirmed US and South Korean reports that North Korea failed to place a satellite in orbit over the weekend, the Interfax news agency reported.

“Our space monitoring system did not establish the placing into orbit of the North Korean satellite. According to our information, it’s just not there,” the source was quoted as saying.

Earlier the United States and South Korea said that Sunday’s launch failed to get anything into orbit.

Pyonygang however announced that its long-range rocket placed into orbit a communications satellite which was beaming songs in praise of the nation’s revolutionary leaders.

The Communist state launched the rocket in defiance of international pressure, with the United States and its allies calling it an illegal missile test despite North Korea’s claims that it was peaceful in nature.

Source: AFP

 

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Do you wonder why US/Japan didn't shoot it?

 

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UN Security Council's Big 5, Japan agree to condemn NKorea
11 April 2009

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – The five permanent UN Security Council members and Japan agreed Saturday on a draft statement condemning North Korea's missile launch and are in favor of fresh sanctions against the country, diplomats said.

The six nations -- Britain, China, France, Japan, Russia and the United States -- have circulated the text of the draft statement to the other nine members of the Security Council.

To be adopted, such a declaration requires unanimous approval from the 15 members.

Ambassador Claude Heller of Mexico, which presently chairs the Security Council, said the condemnation of Pyongyang would likely come on Monday.

The statement, which was released to the press, said the council "condemns the 5 April 2009 launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which is in contravention of Security Council resolution 1718 (2006)."

The Security Council, the draft statement read, "demands that the DPRK not conduct any further launch."

The text also calls for the council "to adjust the measures imposed" in the resolution to establish further sanctions against the North, which were introduced for its nuclear weapons test.

According to a Western diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, "the council will designate (North Korean) companies for an asset freeze by the end of the month."

The statement also calls for an early resumption of the Six Party Talks on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

North Korea insists its rocket put into orbit a communications satellite that is beaming back patriotic songs, although South Korea, Japan and the US military said there is no sign of the object in space and that the launch Sunday was a disguised long-range missile test in violation of UN resolutions.

On April 6 the 15-member council discussed the launch, but diplomats failed to agree on text for a resolution and vowed to keep on negotiating.

After an informal meeting Saturday between the five permanent council members and Japan, French ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert told reporters the countries had already agreed on draft text to be presented to partners in the Security Council.

"It is a text which sends out, as we intended, a clear message to North Korea, expressing our disagreement with what happened," he said.

Source: AFP