Murray McCully

Wellington, May 26 NZPA - North Korea's continuing developing of nuclear weapons is being condemned here but it's too early to say what the international response might be, says Foreign Minister Murray McCully.

The communist state detonated a powerful nuclear bomb yesterday against the urging of much of the international community, and has indicated it will not hold back from further testing.

The actions prompted the UN Security Council to condemn the testing, which included the firing of three short-range missiles.

The council said it was a "clear violation" of a previous resolution banning such tests in 2006.

Mr McCully said today a unilateral approach needed to be taken in any possible response to the issue.

"But certainly we take this matter very seriously. We condemn the steps that have been taken recently by the DPRK (North Korea), we think it is destabilising the region.

"We appreciate the restraint that others have shown -- particularly Japan -- but we have got to wait and see how discussions go from here."

Japan's foreign ministry said after the testing it would respond in a "responsible fashion".

"Definitely we are going to respond, we have to, at the UN Security Council," a spokesman said.

Mr McCully said New Zealand had to keep trying to convey the anti-nuclear message, but admitted that message didn't appear to be getting through.

"They're sending the same signals they have been sending for a little while now.

"Their response to the previous UN discussions was fairly hard-nosed, and we seem to be on the same track we've been on for a while. It's not constructive, but all we can do is be patient."

Mr McCully said he wouldn't pre-judge where multilateral discussions might go.

Labour Party disarmament spokesman Phil Twyford said New Zealand should follow a suggestion of former Australian prime minister Malcolm Fraser, who yesterday urged both New Zealand and Australia to join a group of countries to push for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

"Mr Fraser is right, even small countries like New Zealand can make a difference by speaking out," Mr Twyford said.

He said the election of US President Barack Obama and his push for nuclear disarmament had created the best opportunity in a generation to reduce the global threat presented by nuclear war, but other countries needed to support him.

Russian officials said the bomb which was detonated underground by North Korea yesterday was comparable to those that obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War 2.

NZPA