US lawmakers call for new North Korea sanctions

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US lawmakers call for new North Korea sanctions

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US lawmakers united behind South Korea on Thursday as Seoul

accused North Korea of sinking one of its warships in a torpedo strike that left

46 sailors dead, urging new sanctions on Pyongyang.

" As allies, South Korea and the United States are fully prepared to meet any and

all threats posed by North Korea and to deter further acts of aggression, "

warned Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Kerry, a Democrat.

Seoul and Washington will work closely on " the appropriate next steps " including

referral to the UN Security Council and possible new sanctions on North Korea

based on a formal probe by international investigators, he said.

" The international community should speak with one voice, condemning this

senseless act of violence and calling on North Korea to accept responsibility

and make reparations, " Kerry said in a statement.

Republican Senator Sam Brownback said North Korea " must be held responsible for

its despicable act " and called for Washington to " re-list North Korea as a state

sponsor of terrorism. "

" North Korea should face immediate, multilateral sanctions. North Korea is a

threat to its neighbors, the East Asian region and the rest of the world and

must be held accountable, " Brownback said in a statement.

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the top Republican on the House Foreign

Affairs Committee, planned to introduce legislation to return North Korea to the

terrorism blacklist, her office said.

The lawmakers spoke out after a multinational investigation team said there was

overwhelming evidence a North Korean submarine sank the ship on March 26 with

the loss of 46 lives, prompting South Korea President Lee Myung-Bak to warn of

" resolute countermeasures. "

The United States, Britain, Australia, Japan and France strongly condemned

Pyongyang. But China, whose backing would be crucial in any attempt to penalize

the North, appealed for restraint and did not criticize its ally.

The North said the investigators' report was based on " sheer fabrication " and

threatened " all-out war " in response to any attempt to punish it.

Kerry urged the secretive regime in Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons

program, meet its international obligations, and live in peace with its

neighbors in order to clear a path for a permanent end to the Korean war and for

the impoverished country to joint " the community of nations. "

" Sadly, North Korea's latest show of belligerence makes this possibility

unrealistic at this time, " he said.

Democratic Senator Jim Webb, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee

on East Asia and Pacific Affairs, called for US-South Korea work with other

nations on " an appropriate response to this inexcusable act. "

The international community must " address any other provocative gestures from

North Korea that threaten the stability and security of the region, " said Webb.