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UN calls for restraint in the peninsula

The UN Security Council hears out delegations from North and South Korea, and does not take a position on the Cheonan sinking. It makes a general appeal for peace.
New York (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The United Nations Security Council appealed to the two Koreas “to refrain from any act that could escalate tensions in the region”. All 15 members, called on the two sides “to preserve peace and stability in the Korean peninsula”.

The statement was made after the delegations of North Korea and South Korea submitted their case regarding the sinking of ROKN ship Cheonan on 26 March in which 46 South Korean sailors died.

Seoul has blamed the incident on Pyongyang, which has flatly denied any responsibility in the matter.

South Korea has formally submitted the incident to the Security Council, one of the worst since the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953.

Mexican Ambassador Claude Heller, council chairman this month, told the press that the “Security Council is gravely concerned with this incident that caused the death of 46 sailors and its impact on peace and stability on the Korean peninsula” and that it “will continue its consultations on this incident.”