By 
By Ann Charles
As stated at UN Headquarters in New York on August 5, 2017, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the intercontinental ballistic missile programme by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). According to the report: “in response to the launches of ballistic missiles of possible intercontinental range by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United Nations Security Council moved to strengthen sanctions on the Northeast Asian country’s exports.”
The resolution adopted unanimously by the 15 member body, including five permanent members with veto powers, namely, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations in New York said: “The Security Council had put the dictator of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on notice by matching its words with action.”
“Through the resolution”, she went on to say, “the council had taken a strong and united step, increasing the penalty of that country’s ballistic missile activity to a whole new level. The text represented the single largest package of economic sanctions ever leveled at the regime. The price it would pay would be one third of its exports and hard currency. Furthermore, she added, “the resolution represented the most stringent sanctions on any country in years.”
Emphasizing that nuclear and ballistic missile development was expensive, Nikki Haley said “the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was starving its people and enslaving them to fund its illegal programmes. The US would continue to stand up for the dignity and human rights of those people.” She added that, “while the resolution marked a significant step forward, it was not nearly enough. The threat of an outlaw regime would remain, demonstrating that wide-spread human rights violations went hand-in-hand with threats to international peace and security.”
Commending China’s delegation for its important contributions to the resolution, she said “all Member States must do more to put more pressure on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, adding that the US would take prudent, defensive measures to protect itself and its allies, continuing joint military exercises.” She also stated: “Today was a good day at the United Nations, but more would be needed to peacefully resolve a crisis created by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s illegal actions.”
Liu Jieyl (China) expressed his country’s opposition to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s recent launches, which has defied the will of the entire international community. China had always insisted on upholding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and sought a diplomatic solution, he said, adding that “while today’s resolution had imposed sanctions, it did not intend to negatively impact such non-military goods as food and humanitarian aid.”
All in all, the UN Security Council called for the resumption on the Six Party Talks between China, the Democratic Republic of Korea, Japan, Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States towards the goal of a verified and peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Comments