The UN Security Council rejects sanctions against North Korea – because Russia and China insert their veto. But even the voting plan of the United States caused astonishment.
New York – Russia and China have once again made common cause. This time in the UN Security Council – in a rather surprising vote on stricter sanctions against North Korea. China and Russia voted against a US draft. The other 13 members of the most powerful UN body voted in favor of stricter sanctions against Pyongyang after the recent North Korean missile tests.
According to a report by the AFP news agency, North Korea fired three rockets on Wednesday after US President Joe Biden’s trip to Asia. Among them is said to have been North Korea’s largest ICBM, the Hwasong-17 – according to the South Korean general staff, it flew 360 kilometers. The Japanese government is loud Spiegel.de However, assume that the Hwasong-17 could theoretically reach land targets almost anywhere on earth with a range of more than 15,000 kilometers. According to neighboring South Korea, Pyongyang is also testing a nuclear ignition device. In response, both South Korea and US forces based in the country fired live ammunition during a joint missile exercise.
Sanctions against North Korea: China warned the US about negative humanitarian consequences
Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun urged the US “not to limit itself unilaterally to implementing sanctions.” Rather, one should work for a political solution and prevent a possible escalation through new sanctions against North Korea, Zhang demanded. He warned of negative humanitarian consequences.
These punitive measures against North Korea were proposed by Washington, among others:
- Reducing the annual amount of oil North Korea is legally allowed to import for civilian use
- Sanctions against exports of North Korean goods such as watches and fossil fuels
- North Korea should no longer receive information and communication technology due to suspected cyber attacks
The draft also provided for sanctions to be imposed on individuals and companies.
Russia criticizes the US: “No other answer than to introduce new sanctions”
Russia also used its right of veto when the UN Security Council voted on sanctions against North Korea. Russian ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebensia criticized the US draft: “They seem to have no other answer to crisis situations than to introduce new sanctions.” In addition, Nebensia accused the US of ignoring North Korea’s appeals to stop “hostile activities”. .
USA announce own measures and further sanctions against North Korea
There have been 23 North Korean missile tests since the beginning of the year, which US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said posed a “threat to the peace and security of the entire international community.” Thomas-Greenfield announced unilateral US action and further sanctions against North Korea because “the Council’s reluctance and silence have not eliminated or even reduced the threat”; in fact, North Korea was “rather “constrained” by the inaction of the UN Security Council. been encouraged”.
According to AFP, the United States has been warning for weeks that North Korea will soon carry out a nuclear weapons test for the first time since 2017. According to diplomats, the country has nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles, but has so far failed to combine these two technologies.
The United States will hold the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council until the end of May. Behind the scenes, several allies marveled at Washington’s insistence on a vote when it was expected that both Russia and China, traditional Pyongyang allies, would use their veto powers.
One diplomat said “worse than the scenario of two countries blocking the resolution” would have been for the US to do nothing at all in the face of recent missile tests. (jn/AFP)
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