Squeeze on Pyongyang

UN agrees on watered-down deal after negotiations with US and China

UN Security Council approves watered-down new sanctions against North Korea.

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council unanimously approved new sanctions on North Korea but not the toughestever measures sought by the Trump administration to ban all oil imports and freeze international assets of the government and its leader, Kim Jongun.

The resolution, responding to Pyongyang’s sixth and strongest nuclear test explosion on Sept 3, does ban North Korea from importing all natural gas liquids and condensates. It also bans all textile exports and prohibits any country from authorising new work permits for North Korean workers – two key sources of hard currency for the northeast Asian nation.

As for energy, it caps Pyongyang’s imports of crude oil at the level of the last 12 months, and it limits the import of refined petroleum products to two million barrels a year.

The watereddown resolution does not include sanctions that the US wanted on North Korea’s national airline and the army.

Nonetheless, US ambassador Nikki Haley told the council after the vote that “these are by far the strongest measures ever imposed on North Korea”. But she stressed that “these steps only work if all nations implement them completely and aggressively”.

Haley noted that the council was meeting on the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack.

In a clear message to North Korean threats to attack the US, she said: “We will never forget the lesson that those who have evil intentions must be confronted.

“Today we are saying the world will never accept a nuclear armed North Korea.

“We are done trying to prod the regime to do the right thing and instead are taking steps to prevent it from doing the wrong thing.”

Haley said the US doesn’t take pleasure in strengthening sanctions and reiterated that the US does not want war.

“The North Korean regime has not yet passed the point of no return,” she said.

“If it agrees to stop its nuclear programme it can reclaim its future. If it proves it can live in peace, the world will live in peace with it. If North Korea continues its dangerous path, we will continue with further pressure.”

The final agreement was reached after negotiations between the US and China, the North’s ally and major trading partner. Haley said the resolution never would have happened without the “strong relationship” between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. — AP

Today we are saying the world will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea.

Nikki Haley