UNSC Fails to Reach Joint Statement on North Korea
3 Min Read
The goal was to examine North Korea's launch early this week of what it called a hypersonic gliding vehicle.
-
The closed-door meeting lasted just over an hour
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting at the request of the United States, France, and Britain Friday on North Korea's recent missile tests but failed to agree on a joint statement, diplomats said.
The closed-door meeting lasted just over an hour.
North Korea's hypersonic missile tests the waters
The goal was to examine North Korea's launch early this week of what it called a “hypersonic gliding vehicle”. On Friday, North Korean state media KCNA said the country has tested a new anti-aircraft missile.
"France wanted a public statement but Russia and China said that this was not the time, that they needed more time to analyze the situation," a diplomat told AFP.
China, Russia demand lifting sanctions on North Korea
It is worth noting that several times, China and Russia have requested the partial lifting of sanctions against North Korea, to no avail.
Eight months after taking office, the administration of President Joe Biden has not yet come up with a clear strategy toward North Korea.
North Korea reacts
North Korea has released a series of statements saying it is willing to restart stalled talks and consider another summit if the United States and South Korea scrap their "double standards" on weapons.
According to KCNA, the development of the weapons system boosts North Korea's defense capabilities, calling the hypersonic missile a "strategic weapon".
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rejected recently a US offer of dialogue, describing it as a “facade to mask their deception and hostile acts.”
Urging Seoul to abandon its "double-dealing attitude" and "hostile viewpoint" due to its close association with Washington, the North Korean leader stressed that both nations were at a "crossroads of serious choices" between reconciliation and an undesired "vicious cycle of confrontation".
The US has no 'hostile intentions'
For its part, the United States responded to the accusations, stating that it does not harbor "any hostile intentions" for North Korea and calls on it once again to respond to its outreach without any preconditions.
A US State Department spokesperson said, "Our policy calls for a calibrated, practical approach that seeks serious and sustained diplomacy with North Korea."
The administration of US President Joe Biden has repeatedly announced its willingness to meet with North Korean officials anywhere, anytime, without preconditions, as part of efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
It is worth mentioning that since Kim Jong-un came to power, North Korea has advanced its weapons programs, but it has not conducted any nuclear or ballistic missile tests since 2017.
