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Obama implored the North's leaders "to have the courage to pursue peace," but warned that unless they changed their ways the country would face "more isolation." But neither he nor other administration officials have said what steps the U.S. will take if North Korea carries out the missile launch. The U.S. and allies, including Japan and South Korea, could seek to clamp down further on the North's illicit weapons trade and impose additional financial and banking restrictions that have hurt North Korea in the past. "The U.S. is highly likely to unveil another round of sanctions to send a clear political message to North Korea," said John Park, a Northeast Asia specialist at Harvard University's Belfer Center. Fears about the launch have spread farther afield than previously. The Philippines has expressed concern about falling debris. Indonesia says the launch would undermine regional stability. Russia and China
-- which have longstanding ties with the North -- have urged Pyongyang to rethink its plans. Vietnam has called for North Korea to comply with Security Council resolutions The breadth of criticism reflects not just recognition that the launch would violate U.N. resolutions, but that this rocket, unlike previous launches, would head not eastward over Japan and into the relatively empty Pacific but toward busier waters off Southeast Asia.
The U.S. is urging China -- North Korea's most important ally and trading partner
-- to nudge its neighbor into line, but the prospects appear slim. North Korea has touted the launch as a sign of the nation's strength and progress as it marks the centennial of the birth of its founder, Kim Il Sung. Recent satellite imagery showed preparations under way at the launch site. The launch also may be an effort to consolidate the authority of Kim's grandson, Kim Jong Un, who is establishing a third generation of dynastic rule. Park said that while China doubtlessly is frustrated by the North's conduct and has made a stronger public statement than it did before the 2009 launch, its ultimate concern will be to preserve the still-fragile government of Kim Jong Un and prevent a regime collapse on its own frontier. He also doubted the U.S. would risk its own relations with China by taking a new step: penalizing Chinese companies that do business with North Korea.
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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