UNITED NATIONS: The United States and its allies urged the UN Security Council on Monday to condemn North Korea鈥檚 unlawful ballistic missile launches, but China and Russia blamed the US for escalating tensions with stepped-up military exercises targeting Pyongyang.
At the emergency meeting, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council that the United States will propose a presidential statement, saying at a minimum all 15 members should be agreeable to condemning the North鈥檚 unprecedented missile launches, to urging Pyongyang to comply with UN Security Council sanctions resolutions, and 鈥渢o engage in meaningful dialogue.鈥�
A presidential statement from the Security Council requires the support of all its members, including North Korea鈥檚 closest allies, China and Russia.
Thomas-Greenfield said the United States condemns North Korea鈥檚 firing of two short-range ballistic missiles Monday following the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile Saturday 鈥渋n the strongest terms鈥� as 鈥渇lagrant violations鈥� of the council鈥檚 ban on the country鈥檚 ballistic missile launches.
The launches and North Korea鈥檚 threatening rhetoric are undermining international peace and security, Thomas-Greenfield said.
And she warned the council that its silence and failure to condemn the North鈥檚 missile activities 鈥渓eads to irrelevance.鈥�
But Pyongyang鈥檚 allies China and Russia countered that what鈥檚 needed now is dialogue between North Korea and the Biden administration, a de-escalation of military exercises, an easing of sanctions on North Korea, and approval of a resolution they circulated in November 2021 aimed at resolving the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
That resolution urges the Security Council to end a host of sanctions against North Korea and calls on the US and North Korea to resume dialogue and consider taking steps to reduce tensions and the risk of military confrontation including by adopting a declaration or peace treaty formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War. The war ended with an armistice, leaving the peninsula technically in a state of war.
China鈥檚 Deputy UN Ambassador Dai Bing said joint US-South Korean military exercises 鈥渙n a higher level and a bigger scale,鈥� the deployment of US strategic assets, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg鈥檚 high-profile visit to Seoul and Tokyo two weeks ago, are 鈥溾€漢ighly provocative鈥� to the Democratic People鈥檚 Republic of Korea, 鈥渁nd aggravate a sense of insecurity.鈥�
鈥淪ince the US has repeatedly expressed its willingness to unconditionally engage in dialogue with the DPRK, it should take tangible steps to start and maintain a dialogue,鈥� he said. 鈥淓xclusively pursuing and piling on sanctions will only lead to a dead end.鈥�
Russia鈥檚 deputy ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told the council North Korea is responding with missile tests to 鈥渢he unprecedented military maneuvers in the region under the United States umbrella which are clearly anti-Pyongyang in nature.鈥�
Japan鈥檚 UN Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane, whose country called the emergency meeting, told the council that Saturday鈥檚 ICBM fell in the Japan鈥檚 exclusive economic zone just 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Hokkaido, where people could see it falling from the sky.
鈥淚 assume we can all imagine how terrifying it must have been to see a missile flying to you,鈥� he said, stressing that it endangered vessels and aircraft and was 鈥渁n act of intimidation and threatening by force.鈥�
To those who contend that Security Council meetings provoke North Korea 鈥渁nd hence we should remain silent,鈥� Ishikane retorted that remaining silent 鈥渨ill only encourage rule-breakers to write the playbook as they like.鈥�
After the council meeting, Thomas-Greenfield, read a statement on behalf of 10 council nations and South Korea, surrounded by their ambassadors, strongly condemning the latest missile launches and urging the other five council nations to join in condemning 鈥渢he DPRK鈥檚 irresponsible behavior.鈥�
The 11 countries 鈥� Albania, Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, US and South Korea 鈥� 鈥渞emain fully committed to diplomacy and continue to call on the DPRK to return to dialogue,鈥� the statement said.
鈥淏ut we will not stay silent as the DPRK advances its unlawful nuclear and missile capabilities, threatening international peace and security,鈥� their statement said.