UN avoids blaming N. Korea for ship attack

The United States said Thursday that China and other key countrieshave agreed to condemn the attack on a South Korean warship and express "deep concern" over findings that North Korea was to blame but their proposed statement did not directly accuse Pyongyang.

Their agreed statement,circulated to the full 15-member UN Security Council for approval, calls for "appropriate and peaceful measures to be taken against those responsible" for the sinking of the 1,200-tonne Cheonan on March 26, killing 46 South Korean sailors.

But it doesn't identify who is responsible, and "takes note" of North Korea's response "that it had nothing to do with the incident," according to the text obtained by The Associated Press.

North Korea has called for a new joint investigation by both Koreas "to verify objectively the truth of the incident" and has warned that its military forces will respond if the Security Council questions or condemns the country over the sinking.

The draft statement "underscores the importance" of preventing further attacks or hostilities against South Korea or in the region, and stresses "the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia as a whole."

The Security Council scheduled a meeting Friday morning and diplomats said if all council members approve the statement it would be read at an open meeting by the council president.

Presidential statements needapproval by the full council. While they don't have the clout of resolutions, theybecome part of the Security Council's record.

Diplomats said China, the North's closest ally and a veto-wielding council member, opposed a third round of sanctions against Pyongyang and direct condemnation of North Korea for the incident, while South Korea wanted the council to condemn the North.

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice, who introduced the draft statement at Thursday's closed council meeting, told reporters afterwardit was agreed to by the five permanent council members the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France as well as Japan and South Korea.

"This important statement shows the council's unity in confronting threats to peace and security," she said. "It underscores the importance of preventing further attacks and emphasizes the critical need to maintain peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the larger region."

When a reporter asked whether she believed the statement directly blames North Korea for the attack, Rice replied: "We think the statement is very clear. It expresses the council's judgment that the attack on the ship is to be condemned and that no further attacks against the Republic of Korea should be contemplated."

South Korea sent a letter to the council on June 4 asking the UN's most powerful body to respond to the sinking "in a manner appropriate to the gravity of North Korea's military provocation."

A South Korean-led international investigation that included experts from five other countriesconcluded that a North Korean torpedo sank the Cheonan.