US Ambassador Nikki Haley accused North Korea of intimidating the entire international community with its nuclear programme, military ability and cyberattacks. She also added that any country that doesn’t implement the UN sanctions is supporting Pyongyang’s actions.
“No one is immune to the threat of North Korea,” she told reporters before the emergency closed-door consultations by the UN Security Council on the North’s weekend ballistic missile launch, which experts said demonstrated a significant technological jump with the rocket flying higher and for a longer period of time.
“We’re not going to continue to just say go ahead and test as often as you want,” Haley said, flanked by the South Korean and Japanese ambassadors. “This is a true threat to every country in the world. We’re going to make sure we put the pressure on them economically, diplomatically, politically and internationally.”
Haley said that US and China have been working on “a unified plan” on how to approach North Korea that would include stronger implementation of existing sanctions and tougher new sanctions.
She indicated that if a new test looked to be long range and if it leans towards an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the United States, Washinton and Beijing have agreed to take action.
The latest launch appeared to fulfill both criteria, and Haley said, “I believe that China will stay true to that, and we’ll come together on how we’re going to do that.”
The Security Council, which has imposed six rounds of sanctions on the North, discussed further possible actions at yesterday’s meeting.
Haley previously indicated that new sanctions could target oil, a critical import for North Korea mainly from China, and she added that the US also wanted sanctions on organizations and businesses in third world countries that are helping Pyongyang.
Uruguayan Ambassador Elbio Rosselli, the current council president, said after the meeting that members are united in condemning the latest missile launch as “a serious threat to international peace.” He said the council is exploring many different avenues to proceed and “clearly sanctions are a way to go,” but also diplomacy.
Council diplomats, speaking on a condition of anonymity because the consultations were private, said China never mentioned working with the US on a new sanction resolution, and both China and Russia said they supported a negotiated solution through dialogue.
Haley was asked about the comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Monday who called North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests “unacceptable” but also said the United States should stop intimidating Pyongyang, to which she replied, “What about North Korea intimidating us? They’re intimidating the entire international community. They’re trying to strengthen their muscle with no cause. There is no reason for North Korea to be having these actions outside of the fact they just choose to do so.”
Haley noted that this weekend’s missile came within 60 miles of Russia’s border and said Russia is “all wrong.”