UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - North Korea will pay a price if it continues to carry out nuclear weapon and missile tests in violation of international law, US ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said Tuesday. We will take steps ... to convey the message to North Korea that the path its on doesnt serve its long-term interests, and is not acceptable to the international community. Theyll pay a price for the path that theyre on if they dont reverse, Rice said in remarks to NBC television, one of several interviews she gave in reaction to Pyongyang test-firing two short-range missiles Tuesday. You heard the entire international community yesterday (Monday) from various capitals and from the Security Council come out swiftly, forcefully and in unity to condemn the tests, the US envoy told CNN. We agreed yesterday were going to pursue in the Security Council a new resolution - a strong resolution with teeth, Rice said, adding that sanctions could take very different forms and might include economic levers. And in remarks Tuesday to MSNBC, Rice said that international leaders are prepared to step up our efforts to inspect and interdict ships carrying what we suspect to be prohibited North Korean cargo. There are a number of things that we can do and are prepared to do to make it plain that this is the wrong path for North Korea to continue to pursue and that they will pay a price, she said. We are committed to a Korean Peninsula that is free of nuclear weapons, Rice said. In speech to the Finnish parliament in Helsinki, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the UN Security Council to take the necessary measures against the Stalinist state. I sincerely hope that the Security Council will be able to take the necessary measures corresponding to the gravity of the situation, Ban said. This North Korean action runs counter to the ongoing international efforts to curb proliferation of nuclear weapons, Ban told Finnish lawmaker. We must all stand resolute in the face of these serious violations which threaten to undermine peace and security in our world, he added. Earlier on Tuesday after meeting with Finnish president Tarja Halonen, Ban urged North Korea to return to the negotiation table, but declined to comment what kind of measures should be taken against North Korea. Meanwhile, France said Tuesday it would support additional sanctions against North Korea, as members of the UN Security Council pondered their next steps against the regime. We want a firm reaction from the Security Council, Foreign Ministry spokesman Frederic Desagneaux told reporters, adding that France also condemned the North Korean missile tests that followed the nuclear blast. Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the UNSC and Asian powers join hands to stop North Koreas misguided and dangerous weapons tests. I think its very important that we maintain unity in the international community in the face of this deliberate provocation, Miliband told reporters during a working visit to Athens. In Hanoi, Asian and European foreign ministers jointly condemned the nuclear test by the DPRK and called on the reclusive state to return to six-nation disarmament talks. Ministers condemn the underground nuclear test conducted by the DPRK on May 25th, 2009, said the statement issued at the conclusion of the two-day Asia-Europe (ASEM) foreign ministers meeting in Hanoi. It described Mondays test as a clear violation of six-party agreements and relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.