China, Russia Block UN Anti-North Korea Statement
VOA News
02 Jul 2003, 22:54 UTC
China and Russia have again blocked U.S. efforts to introduce a U.N. Security Council statement condemning North Korea's nuclear program.
Chinese and Russian diplomats made the decision Wednesday following closed door talks with the other permanent council members - Britain, France and the United States. The officials from Beijing and Moscow said after the talks that the timing for a strong statement on North Korea is not right.
Russian Deputy Ambassador Gennady Gatilov said diplomatic efforts are continuing in several capitals, including Washington. He said Moscow believes there is still time for such diplomacy to work.
China's Deputy Ambassador, Zhang Yishan, described April's three-way talks between Chinese, North Korean, and U.S. officials as good start, saying they were heading in what he called the right direction.
China and Russia blocked a similar U.S. effort in April to get the council to condemn North Korea.
The United States wants a statement read into the record by the Security Council president demanding that North Korea comply with its international obligations and give up its nuclear weapons program.
The proposed statement would also call on Pyongyang to re-admit U.N. nuclear inspectors.
Last week, North Korea sent a letter to current council president Sergey Lavrov of Russia, urging diplomats to be impartial and not take the U.S. side in the nuclear stand-off.
North Korea has warned of strong retaliation if the Security Council imposes any sanctions or a blockade against it. Pyongyang also has threatened to pull out of the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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