U.N. must take strongest action to deter North Korea: Nikki Haley

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has said that the time is ripe to exhaust diplomatic sanctions and adopt a strong action to deter North Korea from moving forward with developing nuclear weapons.

Haley said, "The time has come to exhaust all diplomatic means to end this crisis, and that means quickly enacting the strongest possible measures here in the United Nations Security Council. Only the strongest sanctions will enable us to resolve this problem through diplomacy."

"For more than 20 years, the Security Council has taken actions against North Korea's nuclear programme. And for more than 20 years, North Korea has defied our collective voice. It's worth taking a few moments to recount some of the history," she added.

"I must say enough is enough. North Korea now claims to have tested a hydrogen bomb. And just this morning, there are reports that the regime is preparing for yet another ICBM launch."

Haley further said that despite the U.N. efforts over the past 24 years, the North Korean nuclear programme is more advanced and more dangerous than ever. "They now fire missiles over the Japanese air space. They now have ICBM capabilities."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called more sanctions a "road to nowhere" on Tuesday, and his U.N. Ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said, "I don't think we'll be able to rush it so fast."

Russia condemns North Korea's nuclear test as "provocative," Putin told a televised news conference in China.

"The United Nations Security Council has spoken with unusual unity and consistency on North Korea. That's a good thing. Along the way, there have been problems with implementation, and the Council has at times been too slow and too weak; but this is not a situation in which we have allowed divisions among us to stop any action," Haley said.

In 1993, the Council approved Resolution 825 calling on North Korea to remain in the Non-Proliferation Treaty. North Korea withdrew from the treaty and continued its nuclear pursuit.

In 2006, the Six Party Talks faltered, and North Korea conducted several ballistic missile launches. That led to Resolution 1695 condemning them.

The Council has adopted Resolution 2356 designating high-ranking North Korean government officials and the military's Strategic Rocket Forces Command for individual sanctions. Then, just last month, after the regime's first two ICBM launches, we adopted Resolution 2371 - the strongest sanctions we have ever imposed on North Korea.