Somehow, this time around the Council members realised that North Korea's nuclear ambition could be a big destabilising factor on the Korean Peninsula so they saw eye to eye and agreed upon sanctions.

They also wanted to show that the test would not be conducive to peace and the sanctions would be a punishment to deter potential UN members who also might be pondering nuclear armament themselves.

From now on, one thing is obvious. Pyongyang can no longer play one major power against the others, because the powers and the neighbouring countries have joined hands in delivering an ultimatum that it must change its nuclear attitude and return to disarmament negotiation.

The four-party talks that began in earnest in Geneva in 1994 have gone through several phases of ups and downs. Countries like the US, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea want this process to continue and have been urging North Korea to continue to take part to end the impasse. Somehow, Pyongyang has been able to efficiently use this forum to buy time so that its scientists can further develop nuclear armaments.

To ensure that the sanctions are in place, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is touring the region - with stops in Japan, South Korea, China and Russia - in an effort to shore up support for full implementation of the UN sanctions, which prevent any arms exports to North Korea.

At first both South Korea and China were reluctant to enforce the sanctions in full. Both countries have suffered from the sanctions, as they share a common border with North Korea. However, they have said they will comply with UN resolutions to the best of their ability.

It is interesting to note that even as strong international condemnation began to fade, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il expressed regret over its nuclear test and may  yet appear willing to return to the dialogue on disarmament. He was quoted as saying as such by the South Korean press.

However, nobody can really predict if North Korea will do this in the near future. It has maintained that a bilateral dialogue with the US should be initiated as a prerequisite for the disarmament negotiations.

Meanwhile, China has erected a concrete and barbed-wire fence along its border with North Korea. This is a sign that Beijing is distancing itself from Pyongyang and is preparing for whatever outcome results from the sanctions.

Each year, thousands of North Korean refugees cross over the Chinese border hoping for settlement in third countries. In the past few years, strange as it may seem, a large number of these refugees have managed to reach the Thai border and have been able to enter Thai territory. At the moment, well over 100 of them are being detained by the Thai authorities for illegal entry. So far, Seoul has been able to absorb those who expressed the wish to be settled in South Korea.

North Korea is facing severe economic difficulties and food shortages at the moment. This problem has been reported widely in recent years. It is imperative that international humanitarian efforts should be on hand to help as an incentive for North Korea to return to the negotiating table.

It would serve no country's interest if Pyongyang were to collapse at this time because it would certainly cause huge problems for both South Korea and China, as well as the United States. The coming weeks will be crucial for building confidence among all the countries involved in the six-party talks.