New Draft Resolution on North Korea Not Strong Enough, U.S. Says
13 July 2006
Russian-Chinese draft does not call missile program threat to peace, stability
United Nations -- A new Russian-Chinese draft resolution on North Korea submitted to the U.N. Security Council July 12 has very serious omissions but is a positive move overall, U.S., Japanese and French officials say.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton called the Russian-Chinese proposal "a significant step," pointing out that Russia and China initially wanted a press statement after the North Korean missile launches July 4, then a few days later suggested a presidential statement, which is not binding on U.N. member nations.
"Now they have introduced a draft resolution ... which is the appropriate measure through which the Security Council should act," Bolton said July 12. Russia and China "have now joined all the other members of the council who have preferred a resolution from the time the missiles were launched."
French Ambassador to the United Nations Jean-Marc de La Sabliere said the draft showed a "meaningful evolution" in the Russian and Chinese positions.
The Chinese-Russian draft deplores North Korea's July 4 missile launches, urges Pyongyang to reestablish its missile test moratorium and calls on nations to "exercise vigilance" in preventing the supply of goods, technology and materials that could be used in North Korea's missile program.
The Russian-Chinese draft "is a welcome move in the right direction," Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations Kenzo Oshima said the same day. "But a quick glance at the text shows that there are very serious gaps on very important issues."
"I believe that it will be very difficult for us to accept that as it is," Oshima said.
According to Bolton, one of the deficiencies in the text is the failure to declare the North Korean missile program a threat to international peace and security. Another is the failure to invoke Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which makes the resolution mandatory.
"We have felt from the time we learned of the launch of North Korean missiles that a Chapter 7 binding resolution is necessary because we want to bind North Korea," the U.S. ambassador said. "Now if there is language that the Russians and Chinese have to propose that [has] the same effect of binding the North Koreans, then I suppose we're happy to take a look at it."
The new draft resolution dealing with North Korea's launch of several ballistic missiles and its nuclear program is a counter to a more strongly worded Japanese draft resolution co-sponsored by Denmark, France, Greece, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States. That draft, which is awaiting U.N. Security Council action, would impose mandatory economic sanctions if North Korea does not immediately end developing, testing and deploying the missiles. (See related article.)
Russia and China have objected to the Japanese draft resolution, and Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya said July 12 that he would veto the measure if put to a vote as it now reads.
The co-sponsors of Japan's resolution have said they are prepared to put their draft to a vote but are assessing the situation day-to-day while a Chinese diplomatic mission is in North Korea attempting to draw Pyongyang back to the Six-Party Talks with South Korea, Russia, Japan, China and the United States.
Oshima said that "so far, not much apparently has happened" with the Chinese mission.
For more information on U.S. policies, see The U.S. and the Korean Peninsula and Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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