 |
|
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a meeting of UN Security Council nation ministers in New York on Sept. 27. (Reuters)
|
Says “much brighter future lies ahead” if North Korea denuclearizes
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for denuclearization actions from North Korea in remarks on Sept. 27 at the UN, declaring the “dawn of a new day” on the North Korean nuclear issue. With his remarks ahead of a Pyongyang visit next month, Pompeo stressed before the gathered countries of the world at the UN General Assembly that North Korea should choose between a “brighter future” or a future of isolation through sanctions. On Sept. 27, Pompeo presided over a meeting of UN Security Council nation ministers on the topic of North Korea at the UN headquarters in New York. In his introduction, he noted that “past diplomatic attempts to halt North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile development were unsuccessful.” “But now we’re at the dawn of a new day,” he said. “President [Donald] Trump has led the international pressure campaign that has resulted in the first significant diplomatic breakthrough in decades,” he added. Pompeo went on to say Trump had “made abundantly clear that if Chairman Kim [Jong-un] follows through on his commitments, a much brighter future lies ahead for North Korea and its people, and the United States will be at the forefront of facilitating that bright future.” “We want to see that time come as quickly as possible,” he continued. “But the path to peace and a brighter future is only through diplomacy and only denuclearization,” he added. At the same time, he cautioned, “That means any other path North Korea may choose will inevitably lead to ever-increasing isolation and pressure.” Pompeo specifically noted that while UNSC Resolution 2397 restricts North Korea’s annual refined petroleum imports to 500,000 barrels for 2018, that cap had been sidestepped through ship-to-ship transfers. “Enforcement of UN Security Council sanctions must continue vigorously and without fail until we realize the fully [sic], final, verified denuclearization (FFVD),” he said. Reiterating the message that “we are at the dawn of a new day,” Pompeo added, “We do not yet know what that day will bring, but we are hopeful that the current breakthrough in diplomacy will yield a brighter future for North Korea and a safer world for all of us.” Speaking about his planned Pyongyang visit next month, Pompeo made it clear that he intends to meet with Kim Jong-un. “[T]he President has directed me to travel to Pyongyang next month to meet with Chairman Kim and to accelerate that [denuclearization] process,” he said. Positive reaction from South Korean foreign minister South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha voiced a positive reaction during the meeting. “As Secretary Pompeo said, we truly are at the dawn of a new day in terms of the North Korean denuclearization challenge,” she said. Expressing hopes for a second North Korea-US summit, Kang said, “I am certain that over the next few weeks or month, we will move much closer to our share goal of achieving a permanently peaceful, nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.” China and Russia call for loosening of sanctions During the same meeting, China and Russia locked horns with the US with their calls for consideration of the loosening of sanctions. Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi said that it was “China’s firm position that pressure on North Korea is not the goal,” stressing the need to consider applying UNSC resolution regulations at a suitable time to allow sanctions to be modified if North Korea meets denuclearization demands. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed the message, saying that North Korea sanctions “should not be a form of collective punishment.” “Intensifying sanctions will only create a humanitarian crisis in North Korea,” he warned. By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
