UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - In response to North Korea's third nuclear test, the U.N. Security Council voted on Thursday to tighten financial restrictions on Pyongyang and crack down on its attempts to ship and receive banned cargo in breach of U.N. sanctions.

The U.S.-drafted resolution, which was approved unanimously by the 15-nation council, was the product of three weeks of negotiations between the United States and China after North Korea's third nuclear test on February 12.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a former South Korean foreign minister, welcomed the council's move, saying in a statement that the resolution "sent an unequivocal message to (North Korea) that the international community will not tolerate its pursuit of nuclear weapons."

(Reporting By Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Vicki Allen)