State: U.N. working on N. Korea response

WASHINGTON, April 6 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council is in the early stages of forming a response to North Korea's weekend test-firing of a missile, the U.S. State Department said.

"(Consultations) are continuing with key players on the council on next steps," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said during a news briefing Monday. "We want to see a strong response come from U.N. Security Council on this issue. ... We're going to continue to go forward in discussions with our partners in the council to see and to seek a strong, coordinated and effective response to the North Korean missile launch."

The U.N. Security Council has been unable to reach agreement on a statement, with Russia and China urging restraint in the body's response, news reports said.

Pressed about a lack of statement from the Security Council, Wood said the issue was complicated. While council members may agree that the matter warrants concern, there is disagreement about how to proceed.

"We made very clear that we want to see a very strong response coming from the Security Council," he said. "And it's early in the process. These things take time. And we're going to be working hard, because we don't want to see this type of thing happen again."