Russia cautious about sanctioning N. Korea for rocket launch

SEOUL, March 12 (Yonhap) -- A top Russian official said Thursday it is too early to talk about whether to impose sanctions on North Korea in case it launches a missile or a rocket carrying a satellite.

"Diplomacy is something about reality," Vice Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin,
who serves as Moscow's chief nuclear envoy, told Yonhap News Agency after his
lengthy meetings here with South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and
Seoul's nuclear negotiator Wi Sung-lac.
"Let us see when things really happen, and then make conclusions and assessment,"
the envoy said. "For now we are facing only some speculation about certain plans
for launching satellite."
Borodavkin's comments came hours after North Korea announced that it has informed
related international agencies of its plan for a rocket launch.
South Korean officials later confirmed that Pyongyang notified the International
Maritime Organization that it will fire the rocket between April 4-8.