UK says North Korea rocket launch clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions

LONDON (Reuters) - North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket on Sunday is a "clear and deliberate" violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said. North Korea said the rocket was carrying a satellite, but its neighbors and the United States denounced the launch as a missile test, conducted in defiance of U.N. sanctions and just weeks after a nuclear bomb test. "I strongly condemn North Korea's ballistic missile technology test. This is a clear and deliberate violation of a number of U.N. Security Council Resolutions. North Korea's actions continue to present a threat to regional and international security," Hammond said in a statement. "The U.N. Security Council unanimously agreed to take significant measures against any further launches or nuclear tests. We will now meet with our partners in New York to agree a collective response." (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Mark Potter)