By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Confronted by North Korea's defiant rocket launch, the UN Security Council is meeting in emergency session at Japan's request.
The US and its allies say they intend to push for unanimous condemnation of the nuclear-armed communist nation, and may seek to expand existing economic sanctions.
President Barack Obama says the rocket launch threatened the peace and stability of nations "near and far."
The rocket appears to have fizzled in the Pacific Ocean but is believed to be designed to reach US soil.
US Ambassador Susan Rice called the launch a "clear violation" of the council's 2006 sanctions on North Korea's nuclear program and long-range missile testing.
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