UN Security Council toughens North Korea sanctions over missile launches


nsnbc : The United Nations’ Security Council, in  response to repeated launches of missiles of possible intercontinental range by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), unanimously voted for toughening sanctions against the Northeast Asian country’s exports.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the intercontinental ballistic missile programme (ICBM) by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). UN Photo/Kim Haughton

The UN Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the intercontinental ballistic missile programme (ICBM) by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). UN Photo/Kim Haughton

All 15 members of the Council, including the self-appointed permanent UNSC members China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the USA voted concurrently to adopt the measure and condemned the DPRK’s ballistic missile launches on July 3 and July 28. Although many experts questioned the validity of the DPRK’s claims about a feasible intercontinental ballistic missile program and the validity of claims that the country had miniaturized nuclear weapons sufficiently to make it feasible to deploy them with ballistic missiles, it was the military and government of the DPRK itself that claimed it now was able to launch nuclear missile strikes against parts of the United States – that is Alaska.

The Security Council stated that it reaffirmed previous Council decisions that the DPRK not conduct further launches using ballistic missile technology, nuclear tests, or any other “provocation”. Pyongyang, for its part, repeatedly stressed that it has not signed international treaties that would prohibit its development of missile programs or nuclear weapons. Ironically, many independent international observers would agree that the only quasi-legal restrictions on Pyongyang have been imposed by the Security Council, with permanent UNSC members violating the UN Charter by adopting arguably illegal and thus non-valid resolutions.

However, the UNSC stated that it to significantly strengthen the sanctions on the DPRK, imposing a full ban on the export of coal, iron and iron ore from the DPRK. Previously these items could be exported for livelihood purposes, for a limited amount. Also this sanction is arguably illegal, amounting to economic warfare, and an abuse of the Council’s mandate.

Moreover, the Council also prohibited countries from increasing the total number of work authorizations for DPRK nationals. It banned new joint ventures or cooperative entities with DPRK entities or individuals as well as additional investments in existing joint ventures. The Council decreed that UN member states are requested to report to the Security Council, within 90 days of the adoption of this resolution, on concrete measures they have taken to effectively implement this resolution. The Council also designated several additional individuals for a travel ban and assets freeze, as well as designating entities for an assets freeze.

The Council also calls for resumption of the Six-Party Talks and reiterated its support for the commitments set forth in the Joint Statement of 19 September 2005 issued by China, the DPRK, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States. The commitments included that the goal of the Six-Party Talks is the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner, and that the United States and the DPRK respect each other’s sovereignty and exist together peacefully.

 It’s worth mentioning that Pyongyang fired the missile on the 4th of July, celebrated as “Independence Day” in the United States of America. The launch came also as Pyongyang was calling for the implementation of the three principles of reunification agreed upon during intra-Korean talks in 1972.

Political talks were held between the north and the south of Korea in 1972, for the first time after their division. The declared goals of these talks were the reunification of Korea, the independence of Korea as in neutrality – the peaceful reunification through promoting national unity – Resolutely doing away with the evil practices of confrontation and hostility that block the nationwide trend toward the great national unity despite different ideologies.

The launch came also as Pyongyang reiterated its call to end the United States’ usurped UN mandate for its troops in South Korea. If one tries to understand Korean culture one can come to decipher the reasoning and policy behind all of the bombastic and bellicose posturing and behind the propaganda. It would be safe to argue that what Pyongyang actually proposes is the reunification of Korea and a “Finlandization” of the Korean peninsula, from a position of strength and self-reliance, cognizant of the fact that both the north and the south are “assets” in the geopolitical rivalries between the permanent UN Security Council members who should have kept the peace and facilitated the reunification of Korea.

CH/L – nsnbc 06.08.2017



Source Article from https://nsnbc.me/2017/08/06/un-security-council-toughens-north-korea-sanctions-over-missile-launches/

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes