The UN Security Council put off a response to North Korea's threatened nuclear test until Wednesday, with the United States, France and China divided on the best way to react.
US Ambassador John Bolton raised North Korea's announcement that it will conduct a test during a council meeting Tuesday. After a brief discussion, members decided to meet Wednesday morning to decide how to deal with it.
Bolton said he urged members to engage in "preventive diplomacy" and hold a brainstorming session "to come up not just with a knee jerk reaction ... but to develop a coherent strategy to convince them that it's not in their interest to engage in nuclear testing."
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said a North Korean nuclear test would be "a very provocative act" and the US would have to assess its options if Pyongyang carries out its threat.
