World leaders condemn N. Korea

China had mounted one of its most extensive diplomatic efforts in years to find a negotiated solution to the North Korean nuclear crisis and to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula. In the face of a major failure, the Chinese expressed their anger bluntly, saying the test was ``flagrant and brazen."

Last week, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Liu Jianchao, took the unusual step of publicly warning North Korea not to follow through with its planned test. Chinese leaders had also warned of ``grave consequences" if the test was conducted.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin said his country ``absolutely condemns North Korea's nuclear test."

``It is not something to do only with North Korea," he said in televised remarks during a meeting with his senior government ministers. ``It is about the huge damage that has been inflicted on the process of nonproliferation of nuclear weapons."

The test could force China to take a more assertive stance and to join the United States and regional powers in exerting more pressure on North Korea, though it remains unclear what leverage China might be willing to use. Beijing has long argued that along with denuclearizing the country, it also intends to preserve peace and stability there, and Chinese leaders are likely to reject any proposals for military action.

They may also seek to water down any sanctions to ensure that restrictions on the North's trade do not topple the government, an event China fears could create an influx of refugees and a volatile political environment on its border.

In Brussels, Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief, called the test ``an irresponsible act," saying that it not only threatened global security but was an affront to the people of North Korea, who were starving while the government spent its financial resources on nuclear weapons. ``We feel that this act of North Korea goes against all the principles we defend," he said. ``I'd like to say also this is very bad news for the people of North Korea."

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the NATO secretary general, immediately called an emergency meeting of the alliance's ambassadors. ``I can already condemn the nuclear test in the strongest terms possible," he said after talks with members of the EU's political and security committee and Solana.

``It is unacceptable. It is not only a threat to regional peace and security, it is a threat to world peace and security and will demand the strongest possible reaction from the international community."

The EU's official condemnation was echoed across the 25-member bloc. In London, Prime Minister Tony Blair criticized North Korea for an ``irresponsible act" that he said openly defied world opinion. In Berlin, the German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, called for a ``determined reaction" from the Security Council.

In Iran, the other focus of international proliferation fears, the Foreign Ministry said Tehran wanted a world ``free of nuclear weapons," but it appeared to endorse the North's nuclear programs.