By Li Hongmei

In response to the third nuclear test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the UN Security Council voted on Thursday to tighten financial restrictions on Pyongyang and crack down on its attempts to ship and receive banned cargo in breach of UN sanctions.

The US-drafted resolution, which was approved unanimously by the 15-nation council, was the product of three weeks of negotiations after Pyongyang's underground nuclear test on Feb.12.

The resolution confirms the loyalty of the Security Council to the political and diplomatic solution of the nuclear problem of the Korean peninsula and the resumption of six-party talks for the purpose. It outlines the prospect of suspending or lifting sanctions, if the DPRK fulfills the requirements of this and previous UN Security Council Resolutions 1718, 1874 and 2087.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a former South Korean foreign minister, welcomed the council's move, saying in a statement that the resolution "sent an unequivocal message to (North Korea) that the international community will not tolerate its pursuit of nuclear weapons."

The White House on Thursday said the DPRK's threat of a nuclear strike on the United States would only lead to Pyongyang's further international isolation and declared that Washington was "fully capable" of defending against any missile attack from the DPRK.

White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters the DPRK "will achieve nothing by threats or provocations," when asked about Pyongyang's warning that it had a "right to preemptive nuclear attack" against its foes.

China hopes the UN resolution will be strictly observed and fully implemented.

Meanwhile, China also hopes that Pyongyang will duly accept the consolidated will of the international community expressed in the resolution, drop the further development of nuclear arms, and return to the negotiating table at the earliest possible date.