DPRK reactions to UN sanctions 

Source: CCTV.com

10-18-2006 08:48

The DPRK is calling UN sanctions imposed after last week's nuclear test "a declaration of war". And, as Meng Lingqi reports, Pyongyang now says it will deal "merciless blows" if its sovereignty is violated.

In a statement read out on television, the DPRK's Foreign Ministry said the country wants "peace but is not afraid of war,"

It said that it resolutely denounced and rejected the resolution, calling it a product of a US hostile policy toward DPRK.

The statement said the resolution could only be seen as a declaration of a war.

It warned that if anyone used the UN resolution to infringe on the DPRK's sovereignty, "it would deal merciless blows through strong actions."

Pyongyang said that it would not bow to pressure.

Earlier, DPRK top legislator Kim Yong Nam said the nuclear test was only in the interest of self-defense. He said that the DPRK would continue a firmly self-defensive policy, while bolstering its diplomatic resources both on the Korean Peninsula, and in the region.

The sanctions, passed unanimously on Saturday by the UN Security Council, ban the sale of major arms to the North and order the inspection of cargo to and from the country.

The US-initiated measures also call for the freezing of assets of businesses supplying the North's nuclear and ballistic weapons programs.

Editor:Sun Luying