US, China to increase nuclear sanctions on N. Korea

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The United States and China will on Thursday seek to tighten the UN sanctions screws on North Korea after its widely condemned nuclear bomb test last month.

After weeks of closed-door talks, the UN Security Council will vote at 1500 GMT on a resolution proposed by the two key powers that targets North Korean diplomats, finances and access to luxury goods, and blacklists its accused weapons dealers.

A unanimous vote by the 15-member council is certain. "The response by the worryingly unpredictable North Korean government is anyone's guess," said a UN council diplomat.

The North shrugged off sanctions imposed after its nuclear weapons tests in 2006 and 2009 to stage a banned long-range rocket test in December and an even more provocative nuclear blast on Feb 12.