US threat to ‘ utterly destroy’ N. Korea
Moscow rejects US call for all nations to cut ties to Pyongyang
United Nations, Nov. 30: The US warned North Korea’s leadership will be “utterly destroyed” if war breaks out but its call for nations to cut ties with Pyongyang was rejected by Moscow while Beijing sidestepped talk of an oil embargo. Washington urged tough action at an emergency meeting of the Security Council held Wednesday to respond to North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile ( ICBM).
“The dictator of North Korea made a choice yesterday that brings the world closer to war, not farther from it,” US ambassador Nikki Haley told the council.
“If war comes, make no mistake: The North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed.”
But her call for nations to “cut off all ties with North Korea” was rejected by Moscow, with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov saying Russia saw the proposal “negatively”.
“We have repeatedly stated that the pressure of sanctions has been exhausted,” Mr Lavrov said.
US President Donald Trump derided Kim JongUn as a “sick puppy” and threatened “major” new sanctions after Pyongyang tested its third ICBM — which it claimed was capable of striking anywhere in the US.
The test ended a twomonth lull in missile tests that had raised hopes for the opening of diplomatic talks. The North said the weapon could land anywhere in the US, and France said Europe was also in striking distance.
Mr Kim said the test of the Hwasong- 15 weapons system had helped his country achieve the goal of becoming a full nuclear power, sparking global condemnation.
Ms Haley said Mr Trump had called Chinese President Xi Jinping and urged him to “cut off the oil from North Korea”, a move that would deal a crippling blow to North Korea’s economy.
“That would be a pivotal step in the world’s effort to stop this international pariah,” she said, warning that if Beijing does not act, “we can take the oil situation into our own hands.”
◗ US Prez Donald Trump derided Kim Jong- Un as a ‘ sick puppy’ and threatened ‘ major’ new sanctions after Pyongyang tested its third ICBM
Washington, Nov. 30: US and Chinese generals on Thursday engaged in an unusual set of security talks, just hours after North Korea's most powerful missile test yet, focused on how the mighty American and Chinese militaries might communicate in a crisis.
As President Donald Trump greeted the North's launching of another intercontinental ballistic missile with familiar demands for China to get tougher with its ally, the low- profile and unpublicised meeting at the National Defence University in Washington was taking place amid signs China is more willing to discuss how the two world powers would manage an even worse emergency on the divided Korean Peninsula.
The Pentagon stressed the talks were scheduled long before North Korea's surprise missile launch in the early hours of Wednesday in Asia.
Officials insisted the dialogue wasn't centred on North Korea or anything else in particular.
Mr Trump has vowed to prevent North Korea from having the capability to strike the US mainland with a nuclear- tipped missile, using military force if necessary.
He is running out of time: Some experts said the missile fired on a high trajectory that splashed down in the Sea of Japan showed North Korea's ability to strike Washington and the entire US Eastern Seaboard.
The threat of a military confrontation is making China rethink its resistance to discussing contingencies involving North Korea, according to experts.
Such discussions have long been off- limits for Beijing, which fought on North Korea's side against the United States in the 1950- 53 Korean War and remains its treaty ally.
In a phone conversation with Trump yesterday, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his desire for a diplomatic resolution to the standoff with North Korea.