The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations had a message for North Korea on Wednesday: “We’re not trying to pick a fight so don’t try and give us one”. “Solve the problem in North Korea”. However, the UN Security Council and the Secretariat have failed to respond to their demand to date.
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The Security Council threatened new sanctions against North Korea Thursday in a strongly worded condemnation of its latest missile launch after the USA agreed to a Russian request to include a call for “dialogue” with Pyongyang.
From two continents, top Trump administration officials warned Tuesday that North Korea’s latest failed missile launch was a reckless act of provocation and assured allies in Asia that the United States was ready to work to achieve a peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The United States told council members it cut the words because they “would overly narrow the means by which the worldwide community could arrive at a peaceful and comprehensive solution to the North Korean nuclear problem”, according to diplomats. President Donald Trump has praised China’s stepped-up efforts to combat the North Korean “menace”, telling a news conference “some very unusual moves have been made over the last two or three hours”. “I am not like other administrations, where they say, ‘We are going to do this in four weeks.’ It doesn’t work that way”.
President Donald Trump in Washington and Pence at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea have signaled a forceful USA stance on North Korea’s recent actions. China has stuck to its line that dialogue and consultation were the only ways to solving the nuclear issues and maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
United States officials said there was a higher-than-usual level of activity by Chinese bombers, signalling a possible heightened state of readiness by Beijing – reclusive North Korea’s sole major ally – although the officials played down concerns and left open a range of possible reasons.
Amid fears of a USA strike on North Korea, the countries sharing a border with the latter have reportedly started preparing for a possible all-out war in the Korean peninsula. “This represents a general direction that we believe is correct and should be adhered to”, Lu said.
The report, carried by Reuters, also warned the USA and its allies “should not mess with us”. Yet North Korea has continued to paint the U.S.as the aggressor. This week, Pence said the U.S.is not interested in talks or minor concessions from the North.
“There is an worldwide consensus now, including the Chinese leadership, that this is a situation that just can not continue”, H.R. McMaster, Trump’s USA national security adviser, said in an interview with CNBC.
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“As far as North Korea’s latest words [are concerned], I think we’ve all come to hear their words repeatedly”.
