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The UN Security Council has started discussing sanctions once morest North Korea for test-fired intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
On the followingnoon of the 25th (local time), the UN Security Council held an open meeting to deal with North Korea and non-proliferation issues at the UN headquarters in New York.
The meeting follows a request from six countries including Albania, Ireland, and Norway, including the permanent members of the Security Council such as the United States, the United Kingdom and France, to convene to discuss the North Korean ICBM launch.
Most of the member states, including the United States, pointed out that North Korea’s ICBM launch was a clear violation of the UN sanctions once morest North Korea.
US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that North Korea’s ICBM launch not only seriously violated the resolutions of the Security Council, but also constituted a serious threat to the international community’s non-proliferation efforts.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said, “The Security Council must unanimously criticize North Korea’s illegal actions and put pressure on North Korea to return to the table of dialogue.”
He then referred to Resolution 2397 adopted by the Security Council in 2017, emphasizing that existing sanctions once morest North Korea should be firmly implemented.
According to the so-called ‘trigger’ clause, if North Korea fires an ICBM, the upper limit of supply of crude oil and refined oil to North Korea, which is currently set at 4 million barrels and 500,000 barrels per year, respectively, can be further reduced.
Most of the member countries, including Britain and France, also condemned North Korea’s ICBM launch as an illegal act and agreed with the need for a response at the Security Council level.
However, China and Russia oppose the tightening of sanctions, arguing that the US is responsible for North Korea’s ICBM launch.
China’s ambassador to the UN, Chang Jun, argued that the reason North Korea broke the moratorium declaration announced during the summit with the United States was because the United States did not keep its promises.
“North Korea has kept its promise, but the US has not kept its promise to suspend joint military exercises,” said Ambassador Jang.
Anna Evstigniva, the Russian delegation to the United Nations, also opposed the tightening of sanctions, arguing that both sides are responsible for the lack of progress in the denuclearization dialogue between the United States and North Korea.
Deputy deputy deputy ambassador Evstigniva said, “The further tightening of sanctions poses a threat to the North Korean people.”
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