nuclear-news

Trump administration trying to make China responsible for fixing North Korean crisis

US puts onus on China to avert ‘catastrophe’ with North Korea, 9 news.com.au  27 Apr 17, The United States sounded a global call to confront the North Korean nuclear threat Friday, exhorting Beijing to use its “unique” leverage to rein in Pyongyang and avert “catastrophic consequences.”Addressing the UN Security Council after Donald Trump warned of the risk of a “major conflict,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called for a campaign of pressure to force Pyongyang to change course and put a halt to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

“Failing to act now on the most pressing security issue in the world may bring catastrophic consequences,” Mr Tillerson told the Council.

 “The threat of a North Korean nuclear attack on Seoul or Tokyo is real, and it is likely only a matter of time before North Korea develops the capability to strike the US mainland,” he said.

Mr Tillerson told the Council there was “no reason” to think North Korea would change course under the current multilateral sanctions regime, warning: “The time has come for all of us to put new pressure on North Korea to abandon its dangerous path”.

“I urge this council to act before North Korea does,” he said.

Washington has repeatedly called for tougher UN sanctions, but wants China to take the diplomatic lead by using its leverage over Pyongyang — which Beijing has been reluctant to do for fear of destabilising North Korea.

At the council meeting, China pushed back, saying it was not realistic to expect one country to be responsible for solving the conflict

China is not a focal point of the problem on the peninsula and the key to solving the nuclear issue on the peninsula does not lie in the hands of the Chinese side,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
……..The Security Council meeting follows weeks of warnings from the US administration that it is running out of patience.

“All options for responding to future provocation must remain on the table,” Mr Tillerson said.

“Diplomatic and financial levers of power will be backed up by willingness to counteract North Korean aggression with military action, if necessary.”

Russia and China made clear that a military response to the threat from Pyongyang would be disastrous and appealed for a return to talks and de-escalation.

China’s Wang warned “the use of force does not solve differences and will only lead to bigger disasters”.

North Korea “is conducting itself in an inappropriate way”, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the council.

“At the same time, options of using force are completely unacceptable and could lead to catastrophic consequences.”……….

At the end of the meeting, Mr Tillerson again took the floor and bluntly re-asserted Washington’s stance.

“We will not negotiate our way back to the negotiating table. We will not reward their bad behaviour with talks,” he said……..http://www.9news.com.au/world/2017/04/29/03/40/us-puts-onus-on-china-to-avert-catastrophe-with-north-korea
Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/world/2017/04/29/03/40/us-puts-onus-on-china-to-avert-catastrophe-with-north-korea#cdXqbbmHpXTvxESg.99
Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/world/2017/04/29/03/40/us-puts-onus-on-china-to-avert-catastrophe-with-north-korea#cdXqbbmHpXTvxESg.99

April 29, 2017 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, USA