U.S. calls for U.N. Security Council president's statement on North Korea missiles

The United States on Monday called for a United Nations Security Council presidential statement to hold North Korea accountable over its missile tests after Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile last week capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield said it was vital for the 15-member Security Council to respond with one voice and reiterated U.S. charges that China and Russia were "emboldening" Pyongyang by blocking council action.

"These two members' blatant obstructionism puts the Northeast Asian region, and entire world, at risk," she told a Security Council meeting.

"We will offer another opportunity for the Council to hold the DPRK accountable for its dangerous rhetoric and its destabilizing actions. The United States will be proposing a Presidential Statement to this end," she said referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name.