NATO Chief Calls Emergency Meeting After North Korea Nuclear Test

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer convened an emergency session of alliance ambassadors on 9 October 2006 following North Korea's announcement that it had conducted its first atomic bomb test.

De Hoop Scheffer, speaking after meetings with EU officials including foreign policy chief Javier Solana, called the test a threat to both regional and global peace and security, saying it demanded the strongest possible response from the international community.

The NATO chief urged Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks, the stalled multilateral framework involving North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, and Russia, which has been deadlocked since November 2005.

Solana described the test as "an irresponsible act," adding that the spending required for nuclear development offered no benefit to ordinary North Koreans.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in October 2006, in its own words.