Six powers agree draft UN statement on N.Korea

* U.S.-drafted statement N.Korea launch reportedly is tough

* Security Council vote expected next week

(Adds expected timing of vote, French envoy)

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS, April 11 (Reuters) - The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Japan have reached an agreement on a draft statement about North Korea's long-range rocket launch last weekend, envoys said on Saturday.

No details of the statement were immediately released but diplomats say the U.S.-drafted text is a tough one.

British U.N. Ambassador John Sawers confirmed the agreement, which came after a nearly two-hour meeting on Saturday that ended a weeklong deadlock on a Security Council response to North Korea's rocket launch last Sunday.

"We now have an understanding amongst the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Japan on a draft presidential statement to put to the other members of the council," Sawers told reporters.

Presidential statements are formal statements of council positions read out by the president of the Security Council. They are generally considered to be weaker than resolutions.

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice declined to disclose any details of the statement but said, "We think this text sends a clear message."

The full 15-member Security Council was expected to receive the draft text at a closed-door meeting scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EDT (1830 GMT), U.N. diplomats said. They were not expected to vote on the statement until early next week, to allow a few days to consider the draft, diplomats said.

The agreement, they said, came after Japan said it would back a U.S.-drafted statement to be issued by the council.

The United States, Japan and South Korea say North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile, not a satellite, in violation of Security Council resolution 1718 banning the firing of such missiles.

Although the statement does not declare North Korea in "violation" of 1718, diplomats said it suggests the launch was not in conformity with it, a compromise that was acceptable to Beijing.

"It is a text which sends out, as we intended, a clear message to North Korea expressing our disagreement with what happened," French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert said.

Japan had been pushing for a council resolution that would declare Pyongyang in violation of resolution 1718 but Russia and China, which are permanent veto-wielding council members, opposed this. They were not convinced the rocket launch, which North Korea says put a satellite into orbit, was a violation. (Editing by Bill Trott)