On North Korea's failed rocket launch

Commenting on North Korea's failed rocket launch, the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz stated:

"I strongly condemn this act of provocation by the North Korean authorities.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un should quickly abandon this worrying path of international isolation and confrontation.

North Korea must cease its rocket launching programme and abide by all its international obligations, particularly under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Today's failed rocket launch is a dramatic symbol of the distance between the North Korean leadership and the real needs of its deprived and starving people. DPRK must embark on a serious path of economic, political and social reforms and regional reconciliation."