A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

Russia and China on Thursday opposed tough sanctions the U.S. wants to impose against North Korea this week for its claimed nuclear test, saying they want more time to work out a more moderate response to Pyongyang's nuclear brinkmanship.

The United States and Japan, which has already imposed tough unilateral sanctions on the North to protest the reported test Monday, had initially hoped for a U.N. Security Council vote on Thursday. But if Washington wants to get China and Russia - the two council nations closest to Pyongyang - on board, a vote could be delayed until early next week.

China, the North's closest ally, opposes any mention of the U.N. Charter's Chapter 7, which authorizes punishments including economic sanctions, naval blockades and military actions. China and Russia want to see sanctions focus primarily on reining in North Korea's nuclear and weapons programs.

Beijing and Moscow also object to the wide scope of financial sanctions and a provision authorizing the inspection of cargo going in and out of North Korea, council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because talks are private. There is concern among some diplomats that boarding North Korean ships could lead to a military response from the North.

The U.S. circulated a revised draft resolution late Wednesday, formally introduced it in the Security Council on Thursday and said it would be put in a final form that can be put to a vote on Friday. Britain, France, Japan and Slovakia signed on as co-sponsors.

"We're certainly in favor of keeping all the diplomatic channels open, but we also want swift action, and we shouldn't allow meetings, and more meetings ... to be an excuse for inaction," U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said.

But Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the U.S. should wait for the results of more diplomacy. China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya agreed, saying Beijing would welcome more talks so the Security Council can send a united and forceful message to Pyongyang condemning its reported test Monday.

Churkin said "the international community will easily understand if on the matter of this gravity and importance, the Security Council will take a few more days to have a reasoned and united response to the challenge we face from this explosion in North Korea."

"We think that there should be a strong reaction, but it has to be a cool-headed reaction," he said.

This is quite clearly a developing story and I don't want to prejudge its outcome. But I have to ask: What does it take for the Russians and the Chinese to conclude that Chapter 7 sanctions might eventually be necessary--especially given the manner in which the Chinese were made to look like fools by North Korea's attempt at belligerent behavior? Do the Russians and Chinese view North Korea as a pawn that can be used to check American power projection in Asia? If so, the effort is self-defeating; the two countries appear to be bound and determined to make it all the more easy for South Korea and Japan to conclude that they will need nuclear weapons to check North Korean aggression.

And the following passage is just a beaut:

Without naming the United States, Churkin appeared to take aim at the tough U.S. policy toward Pyongyang and President Bush's inclusion of North Korea in the so-called "axis of evil."

"This resolution would be a very strong statement from the Security Council," Churkin said. "And we know that in this problem, in this part of the world, some strong statements made by others than the Security Council have hurt the entire thing - and have aggravated matters. So we do not want to repeat this on the level of the Security Council."

Matters are careening towards a crisis, and the Russians are worried about the tender sensibilities of the North Koreans when it comes to insults. Up really is down, nowadays.