Japan, S Korea pressure Russia on North Korea
VLADIVOSTOK: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his South Korean counter part on day struggled to grind down Russian resistance to new sanctions on Pyongyang over its nuclear test as Vladimir Putin appeared to give little ground.
The United States on Wednesday demanded that the United Nations slap an oil embargo on North Korea and a freeze on the foreign assets of its leader Kim Jon g-U nina dramatic bid to force an end to the perilous nuclear stand-off.
“The international community must unite in applying the greatest possible pressure on North Korea,” Abe said in a speech alongside Put in and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in at an economic forum in Vladivostok.
“We must make North Korea immediately and fully comply with all relevant UN Security Council resolution sand abandon all its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner,” Abe said.
The call came just four days after Pyongyang staged its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date on Sunday, claiming a “perfect success” in testing a hydrogen bomb.
South Korea has pushed for more punishment and Moon in Vladivostok said that “perhaps the time has come for stronger sanctions” on Pyongyang.
China on Thursday sign all edit would support the United Nations taking further measures against North Korea following the test. “Given the new developments on the Korean peninsula, China agrees that the UN Security Council should respond further by taking necessary measures,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a press conference in Beijing.
“We believe that sanctions and pressure are only half of the key to resolving the issue. The other halfis dialogue and negotiation,” Wang added.
Putin has repeatedly insisted that further economic pressure onPyongyang willnotwork and insisted that the only route is diplomacy.