It’s not just Ukraine or Iran that are hot international issues. The United States called for an emergency meeting on Thursday of the UN Security Council on North Korea, which fired its most powerful missile since 2017 on Sunday, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday. . This meeting should be held behind closed doors.
“We hope that the Council will be able to speak with one voice” with the publication of a statement, said a diplomat on condition of anonymity. “We should at least insist that the Council urge North Korea to respect the resolutions of the UN Security Council” and “if it is not able to do so, then we have a problem”, he said. he added, as Pyongyang completed seven tries in January.
Fear of a nuclear ballistic test
The North Koreans “are making steady progress on ballistics, improving the range, accuracy and lethality of their missiles,” the diplomat continued. “They have in their possession several nuclear devices, have done more than 60 laboratory tests. “At some point, if they mix the two technologies”, nuclear and ballistic, “which they do not seem to have succeeded so far (…), then the level of threat will be intolerable”, judged this diplomat rejecting the idea of a “conflict or frozen file”.
In a statement, the State Department said US envoy to North Korea Sung Kim had discussed the latest North Korean shooting with Japanese and South Korean officials in recent days. Sung Kim “condemned the ballistic missile launches by North Korea which violate Security Council resolutions and destabilize the region,” said Ned Price, spokesman for American diplomacy. Recalling that the United States remains ready for diplomatic discussions with North Korea, Sung Kim assured his interlocutors of the American commitment to defending South Korea and Japan, he added in the press release.
Moratorium broken
Pyongyang confirmed on Monday that it had launched its most powerful missile since 2017, a Hwasong-12 intermediate and long range surface-to-surface ballistic missile the day before. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres denounced in a statement on Tuesday a ballistic missile launch which “breaks with the moratorium announced in 2018” by this country for this type of device.
This shooting represents “a clear violation of Security Council resolutions”, he added, condemning it. North Korea’s firing on Sunday caps a month of serial testing and raises fears of a resumption of nuclear and intercontinental missile testing by Pyongyang.
In 2017, the UN Security Council unanimously decided three times to impose new heavy economic sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests. These sanctions, the latest proof of the Council’s unity on the North Korean dossier, affect in particular the country’s oil imports and its exports of coal, iron, textiles and fishing.
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