The statement, which was drafted by Vietnam, will be submitted for approval when ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum meet in Hanoi on July 23. Top diplomats from the United States, DPRK and RoK are expected to attend the meeting, which Vietnam will chair.

The draft statement was leaked to news agencies. It echoes an earlier statement by the U.N. Security Council, which condemned the sinking in March of the Cheonan but did not directly accuse DPRK of carrying it out. RoK has been lobbying for a stronger statement.

The draft also calls for Burmese elections expected this year to be free, fair and inclusive.

While failing to blame any country by name, the Security Council statement did express concern over the findings of an international investigation of the Cheonan sinking, which killed 46 seamen. That investigation concluded that the ship was almost certainly sunk by a DPRK torpedo.

Nevertheless, DPRK U.N. ambassador (Sin Son Ho) hailed the statement as a "great diplomatic victory." Pyongyang had previously threatened to take military action if it faced any punitive action by the international community.