Merkel, Macron call for tougher sanctions

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday jointly condemned North Korea’s biggest nuclear test to date and called for tougher sanctions against Pyongyang. The German government said Merkel and Macron spoke on the phone, with both strongly condemning the new nuclear test in North Korea. “This latest provocation by the ruler in Pyongyang has reached a new dimension,” it added. Merkel and Macron agreed that North Korea was violating international law and that the international community must react decisively to this new escalation, Berlin said. “In addition to the United Nations Security Council, the EU also has to act now. The Chancellor and the President expressed their support for a tightening of EU sanctions against North Korea,” the statement said.