UNITED NATIONS — The United States called for a vote Monday on new U.N. sanctions against North Korea, though exactly what measures would be in the resolution remained a mystery.
Security Council diplomats, who weren't authorized to speak publicly because talks have been private, said the U.S. and China were still negotiating the text late Sunday.
Previous U.N. sanctions resolutions have been negotiated between the United States and China — North Korea's main trading partner and ally — and have taken weeks, and in some cases months, to finalize.
But the Trump administration adopted a totally new approach with this resolution, presenting its draft to China and all other Security Council members last Tuesday and demanding a vote in six days. Diplomats said China's U.N. ambassador, Liu Jieyi, who was on a Security Council trip to Ethiopia, flew back to New York on Thursday to take part in negotiations.
North Korea's Foreign Ministry issued a statement early Monday saying it was watching the United States' moves closely and warned that it was "ready and willing" to respond with measures of its own. It said the U.S. would pay a heavy price if the sanctions proposed by Washington are adopted.
Ethiopia's U.N. mission, the current Security Council president, said late Sunday that members would vote on a North Korea resolution following a meeting Monday afternoon on implementing existing sanctions against the North Korean government. (AP)