Reuters, United Nations :
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned members of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that they must “set the example” by enforcing sanctions on North Korea as China suggested the Council should consider easing the tough measures.
North Korean ally China, backed by Russia, said the Security Council should reward Pyongyang for the “positive developments” after U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in June and Kim pledged to work toward denuclearisation.
Pompeo chaired a meeting of the 15-member council on the sidelines of the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders after meeting with his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho on Wednesday. Pompeo plans to travel to Pyongyang next month to meet with Kim.
But until Pyongyang gives up its nuclear weapons programme, Pompeo said: “Enforcement of Security Council sanctions must continue vigorously and without fail until we realize the fully, final, verified denuclearisation.”
“The members of the council must set the example on that effort,” he said after U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley earlier this month accused Russia of cheating on U.N. sanctions on North Korea.
The Security Council has unanimously boosted sanctions since 2006 in a bid to choke off funding for Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The Chinese government’s top diplomat Wang Yi noted that there are provisions in Security Council resolutions for the body to modify sanctions if North Korea complies.
He said that “given the positive developments” China believed the Council “needs to consider invoking in due course this provision to encourage the DPRK and other relevant parties to move denuclearisation further ahead.”
“Until the final denuclearization of the DPRK is achieved and fully verified, it is our solemn collective responsibility to fully implement all U.N. Security Council resolutions pertaining to North Korea,” he said, using the initials for the country’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Pompeo said the U.S. has evidence that U.N. sanctions, particularly those restricting North Korean oil imports and coal exports, are being violated and he demanded that U.N. members ensure they are respected. “Enforcement of U.N. Security Council sanctions must continue vigorously and without fail until we realize final, fully verified denuclearization,” Pompeo said.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, whose country is North Korea’s main ally, agreed that the sanctions “remain valid,” but he said the resolutions provide for them to be modified based on North Korea’s compliance and the council should consider doing so.
“China believes that the Security Council may consider invoking in due course this provision in order to encourage (North Korea) and other relevant parties to move denuclearization further ahead,” he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow believes that it’s “very important” for the Security Council to regularly discuss “whether it’s advisable to review various restrictions against DPRK as it moves towards giving up its nuclear weapons.”
He stressed that negotiations are “a two-way street” and steps by the DPRK toward gradual disarmament “should be followed by easing of sanctions.”
The Security Council must not become “a hindrance” to dialogue between the two Koreas, Lavrov said, and he suggested that the council committee monitoring sanctions against the DPRK should consider applications for exemptions from sanctions “to carry out projects of inter-Korean cooperation which Pyongyang and Seoul have agreed to.”
Lavrov criticized Western nations for “stubbornly” ruling out any positive signal from the Security Council on the positive steps taken by Pyongyang so far. He said Russia will circulate a council resolution that would have the council “send a clear signal in support of the positive momentum on the situation around the Korean peninsula.”
China and Russia also said they share with North and South Korea a desire to produce a document that would declare an end to the Korean War, which ended with an armistice and not a formal peace treaty.
The Trump administration has balked at signing such a declaration without significant progress on denuclearization, such as North Korea submitting a complete inventory of its nuclear and ballistic missile facilities that could be used by international inspectors to verify they have been dismantled.
Pompeo, who met on Wednesday with North Korea’s foreign minister, will make a third trip to North Korea next month to set the stage for a second summit between Kim and Trump, who met in Singapore in June.
China’s Wang said “the recent positive developments on the peninsula are exactly what China has been working for over the years.
He stressed that peace on the peninsula is essentially about security and “the key is to address the legitimate security concerns of all parties in an appropriate and balanced manner.”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned members of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that they must “set the example” by enforcing sanctions on North Korea as China suggested the Council should consider easing the tough measures.
North Korean ally China, backed by Russia, said the Security Council should reward Pyongyang for the “positive developments” after U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in June and Kim pledged to work toward denuclearisation.
Pompeo chaired a meeting of the 15-member council on the sidelines of the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders after meeting with his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho on Wednesday. Pompeo plans to travel to Pyongyang next month to meet with Kim.
But until Pyongyang gives up its nuclear weapons programme, Pompeo said: “Enforcement of Security Council sanctions must continue vigorously and without fail until we realize the fully, final, verified denuclearisation.”
“The members of the council must set the example on that effort,” he said after U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley earlier this month accused Russia of cheating on U.N. sanctions on North Korea.
The Security Council has unanimously boosted sanctions since 2006 in a bid to choke off funding for Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The Chinese government’s top diplomat Wang Yi noted that there are provisions in Security Council resolutions for the body to modify sanctions if North Korea complies.
He said that “given the positive developments” China believed the Council “needs to consider invoking in due course this provision to encourage the DPRK and other relevant parties to move denuclearisation further ahead.”
“Until the final denuclearization of the DPRK is achieved and fully verified, it is our solemn collective responsibility to fully implement all U.N. Security Council resolutions pertaining to North Korea,” he said, using the initials for the country’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Pompeo said the U.S. has evidence that U.N. sanctions, particularly those restricting North Korean oil imports and coal exports, are being violated and he demanded that U.N. members ensure they are respected. “Enforcement of U.N. Security Council sanctions must continue vigorously and without fail until we realize final, fully verified denuclearization,” Pompeo said.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, whose country is North Korea’s main ally, agreed that the sanctions “remain valid,” but he said the resolutions provide for them to be modified based on North Korea’s compliance and the council should consider doing so.
“China believes that the Security Council may consider invoking in due course this provision in order to encourage (North Korea) and other relevant parties to move denuclearization further ahead,” he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow believes that it’s “very important” for the Security Council to regularly discuss “whether it’s advisable to review various restrictions against DPRK as it moves towards giving up its nuclear weapons.”
He stressed that negotiations are “a two-way street” and steps by the DPRK toward gradual disarmament “should be followed by easing of sanctions.”
The Security Council must not become “a hindrance” to dialogue between the two Koreas, Lavrov said, and he suggested that the council committee monitoring sanctions against the DPRK should consider applications for exemptions from sanctions “to carry out projects of inter-Korean cooperation which Pyongyang and Seoul have agreed to.”
Lavrov criticized Western nations for “stubbornly” ruling out any positive signal from the Security Council on the positive steps taken by Pyongyang so far. He said Russia will circulate a council resolution that would have the council “send a clear signal in support of the positive momentum on the situation around the Korean peninsula.”
China and Russia also said they share with North and South Korea a desire to produce a document that would declare an end to the Korean War, which ended with an armistice and not a formal peace treaty.
The Trump administration has balked at signing such a declaration without significant progress on denuclearization, such as North Korea submitting a complete inventory of its nuclear and ballistic missile facilities that could be used by international inspectors to verify they have been dismantled.
Pompeo, who met on Wednesday with North Korea’s foreign minister, will make a third trip to North Korea next month to set the stage for a second summit between Kim and Trump, who met in Singapore in June.
China’s Wang said “the recent positive developments on the peninsula are exactly what China has been working for over the years.
He stressed that peace on the peninsula is essentially about security and “the key is to address the legitimate security concerns of all parties in an appropriate and balanced manner.”
