‘Overwhelming’ preference for peace over nuclear test crisis
America runs out of patience in appeal for embargo Limits on South Korean missile payloads lifted
DOWNING STREET has restated the UK’s “overwhelming” preference for a peaceful and diplomatic resolution to the crisis over nuclear tests by North Korea.
The comments came as the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York, with Donald Trump’s administration warning that any threat to the US or its allies would trigger a “massive military response” against the secretive east Asian state.
The meeting yesterday, at the request of the UK, US, Japan, France and South Korea, comes after Kim Jong Un’s regime carried out its sixth and most powerful test of a nuclear device.
US defence secretary Jim Mattis briefed President Donald Trump about the military options available if the crisis escalated, adding that Washington was capable of launching an “effective and overwhelming” response.
While the US was “not looking to the total annihilation” of North Korea there were “many options to do so”, he said.
According to the Associated Press, when asked by a reporter during a church visit if he would attack the North Mr Trump said: “We’ll see.”
The US ambassador to the United Nations said North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, is “begging for war”.
Ambassador Nikki Haley said the US would look at countries doing business with the North and planned to circulate a resolution this week with the intention of having its approved by September 11.
“Enough is enough. War is never something the United States wants,” she said.
NORTH KOREA’S leader, Kim Jong Un, is “begging for war”, the US ambassador told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Ambassador Nikki Haley said the US would look at countries doing business with the North and planned to circulate a resolution this week with the intention of having its approved by September 11.
“Enough is enough. War is never something the United States wants. We don’t want it now. But our country’s patience is not unlimited,” Ms Haley said.
“The United States will look at every country that does business with North Korea as a country, that is giving aid to their reckless and dangerous nuclear intentions.”
The move came as US President Donald Trump spoke by phone with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and agreed that Sunday’s underground nuclear test by North Korea was a grave provocation that was “unprecedented”.
The two leaders also agreed to remove the limit on the payload of South Korean missiles.
The emergency UN session, scheduled after North Korea said it detonated the hydrogen bomb, came only six days after the council strongly condemned what it called Pyongyang’s “outrageous” launch of a ballistic missile over Japan.
Less than a month ago, the council imposed its stiffest sanctions yet on the reclusive nation.
But the US resolution faces an uncertain future. Russia and China have both proposed a twopronged approach: North Korea would suspend its nuclear and missile development, and the United States and South Korea would suspend their joint military exercises.
Washington and Seoul say the manoeuvres are defensive, but Pyongyang views them as a rehearsal for invasion.
The North recently requested a Security Council meeting about the war games.
The US says there is no comparison between its openly conducted, internationally monitored military drills and North Korea’s weapons programmes, which the international community has banned.
Speaking after yesterday’s meeting, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told a group of reporters that sanctions alone will not solve the issue and that there need to be negotiations as well.
“Resolutions aimed solely at sanctioning North Korea have not worked well before,” he said.
Speaking one after the other, diplomats from France, Britain and Italy reiterated demands for the Kim regime to halt its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes and urged further sanctions.
French Ambassador Francois Delattre said France was urging the adoption of new UN sanctions, swift implementation of existing ones and new, separate sanctions by the European Union.
“Pyongyang poses a clear threat to international peace and security and is increasingly and seriously challenging the global nonproliferation regime,” said Sebastiano Cardi, the UN ambassador from Italy, which heads the North Korea sanctions compliance committee.
Enough is enough ... our country’s patience is not unlimited. US ambassador Nikki Haley addresses an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.