New York, 21 February 2023 (TDI): The Ambassador of the United States (US) to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield condemns the launches of North Korea’s Ballistic Missiles on 18 and 19 February.
Ambassador Linda urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to condemn and take collective action against North Korea’s Ballistic Missiles launches that have threatened and violated the peace in the region.
In the emergency meeting, she told the Council that the US will propose a presidential statement to urge all 15 members of the Security Council to agree to condemn North Korea’s Ballistic Missiles and force North Korea to ‘engage in meaningful dialogue’.
It is pertinent to note that the Presidential Statement from the Security Council requires the support of all its members.
Thomas-Greenfield said the US condemns North Korea’s firing of two short-range ballistic missiles “in the strongest terms” as “flagrant violations” of the council’s ban on the country’s ballistic missile launches.
North Korea or Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday test-fired two missiles following the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Saturday.
She also added that North Korea’s Ballistic Missiles have threatened and undermined international peace and security. Ambassador Linda also warned the Council that its silence and failure to condemn North Korea’s missile activities “leads to irrelevance.”
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In the emergency meeting, the Ambassadors of China and Russia also responded to the US Ambassador that what’s needed now is a dialogue between North Korea and the Biden administration.
They also advocated 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.
The 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.
The resolution also includes adopting a declaration or peace treaty formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice, leaving the peninsula technically in a state of war.
In this vein, China’s Deputy Ambassador to UN Dai Bing said, “Since the US has repeatedly expressed its willingness to unconditionally engage in dialogue with the DPRK, it should take tangible steps.”
These steps are needed to start and maintain a dialogue, exclusively pursuing and piling on sanctions will only lead to a dead end.
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