World hails N Korea sanctions vote

US President George W Bush said the unanimous Security Council resolution sent "a clear message" to its reclusive leader Kim Jong-Il, a statement echoed in London, Paris, Tokyo and Seoul.

But signs of the intense diplomatic haggling over the scale and nature of the sanctions were evident even after the text was approved in New York, with China -- Pyongyang's closest ally -- voicing "reservations" about provisions for inspecting cargo going in and out of North Korea.

In contrast, Japan, which had pushed for even tougher measures, said it was considering further action of its own to ratchet up the pressure on Pyongyang.

In Washington, Bush said the world was united against Kim's atomic programme after its shock October 9 announcement that it had tested a nuclear weapon.

"This action by the United Nations, which was swift and tough, says that we are united in our determination to see to it that the Korean peninsula is nuclear weapons-free," the US president said.

North Korea's UN ambassador Pak Gil Yon condemned the resolution and said the Security Council had ignored the nuclear threat posed by Washington.

"It is gangster-like for the Security Council to have adopted today a coercive resolution while neglecting the nuclear threat and moves for sanctions and pressure of the United States," he said before storming out.

The UN text demands elimination of all North Korean programmes related to weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, a ban targeting missiles, tanks, large artillery systems, warships and combat aircraft, and provides for the inspection of cargo to and from the state.

It further allows a travel ban on officials working on such programmes and the freezing of funds and economic assets linked to them, as well as slapping an embargo on luxury goods. But it specifically does not include any reference to military action.

China's UN ambassador, Wang Guangya, voiced "reservations" about provisions for cargo inspections, saying Beijing did not approve.

But Japan hailed the UN decision as a "great step forward". Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tokyo was considering further measures after slapping a sweeping ban on North Korean imports before the UN vote.