Australia, citing nuclear test, bars North Korea from reopening embassy
Source: Reuters
Australia has barred North Korea from reopening an embassy in Canberra because of the reclusive state's recent nuclear test, the government said on Thursday.
Australia, a close U.S. ally, is one of a few Western countries to have diplomatic ties with North Korea, which first opened a Canberra embassy in May 2002. It closed the embassy six years later and then sought this year to reopen it.
But Australia, a rotating U.N. Security Council member, has been strongly critical of the nuclear tests and has helped drive international calls for tougher sanctions against Pyongyang.
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"It is in abeyance until further notice while we work in the United Nations Security Council on the response to North Korea's recent nuclear activity," she said.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/07/us-korea-north-australia-idUSBRE92603X20130307