Remarks on the Nuclear Test by North Korea

Ambassador Bolton: Let me just say, if I could, with respect to the North Korean test: I'm sure you all heard the president's comments a few minutes ago. Just to add, follow-on to what he said about action in the Security Council. Late yesterday evening I had several conversations with Ambassador Oshima, who is president of the Security Council, to ask for this emergency meeting we're about to have.

We wanted to hold the election -- the Security Council's part of the election of the next secretary-general -- first. It's really quite an appropriate juxtaposition that today, 61 years after the temporary division of the Korean peninsula at the end of World War II, that we're electing a foreign minister of South Korea as Secretary-General of this organization and meeting as well to consider the testing by the North Koreans of a nuclear device. I can't think of a better way to show the difference in the progress of those two countries, great progress in the South and great tragedy in the North.

As the president said, we will be seeking a resolution under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. I'll be discussing elements of that resolution with members of the council today. We've also had conversations in their respective capitals. We're awaiting reactions from them, but we've been working very, very closely with the government of Japan on this and with the permanent members.

So, I don't want to get into the specifics now, but we're looking, as the president said in his comments, for very swift action by the Security Council. We think it's important to respond even to the claim of a nuclear test by the North Koreans and will be going 24/7, if we need to be, to get this resolution adopted quickly.

I will come back later, because I have to get back into the Council, to try and answer your questions.

Thank you very much.