U.N. Security Council to vote to widen its sanctions on North Korea

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) today plans to vote on a resolution that would expand existing UN sanctions on North Korea in response to its nuclear test on January 6, said US mission to the UN.

According to reports, the vote is expected to happen during the meeting today evening.

The United States, had last week presented a draft resolution it negotiation with China that would significantly tighten restrictions after North Korea's nuclear test and rocket launch, and create what it touted as toughest UN sanctions regime in two decades to the 15-nation council.

Washington had originally hoped to put the resolution to a vote last week but cancelled the move after Russia demanded time to study the text. China in an unusual move agreed to United States against its ally and neighbour Pyongyang.

The draft would require UN members to conduct mandatory inspections to look for illicit goods of all the cargo passing through their territory to and from North Korea.

Earlier, the members were only required to do the same if they had reasonable ground to believe there was illicit cargo.

Rumors are that there minor changes have been made to the text.

The United States had lobbied bilateral negotiations for nearly two months with China to win Beijing's support for tough measure intended to pursue Pyongyang to abandon its atomic weapons programs that at one point it also involved U.S. president Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The proposal would secure a gap in the UN arms embargo by banning all weapons import and export on North Korea.

It could further ban transfer of any item to North Korea that could directly contribute to its operational capabilities of its armed forces, such as trucks that could be modified for military purposes.

The proposal measures also includes banning on supplies of aviation and rocket fuel to North Korea, a initiative for the member countries to expel North Korean diplomats engaging in illicit activities, blacklisting 17 North Korean individuals and 12 entities, including the National Aerospace Development Agency (NADA), the body responsible for February's rocket launch.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power told media that if the new measure were approved, it would be the strongest sanctions imposed by the Security Council in more than two decades.

North Korea has been under UN sanctions due of its multiple nuclear tests and rocket launches since 2006.