'Enough is enough' as Security Council meets on North Korea

SBS World News Radio: North Korea's sixth and largest nuclear test over the weekend is prompting further calls from the United Nations Security Council for tougher action.

 'Enough is enough' as Security Council meets on North Korea

'Enough is enough' as Security Council meets on North Korea

Enough is enough.

That is the consensus from the representatives of nations attending a United Nations Security Council meeting to address North Korea's latest ballistic-missile test.

Tensions remain high on the Korean Peninsula, with South Korea confirming it is talking with the United States about deploying aircraft carriers and strategic bombers in the area.

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is "begging for war" and the time for what she calls "half-measures" is over.

"We must now adopt the strongest possible measures. Kim Jong-un's action cannot be seen as defensive. He wants to be acknowledged as a nuclear power. But being a nuclear power is not about using those terrible weapons to threaten others. Nuclear powers understand their responsibilities. Kim Jong-un shows no such understanding. His abusive use of missiles and his nuclear threats show that he is begging for war."

Ms Haley says the United States will circulate a new Security Council resolution on North Korea this week and wants a vote on it next week.

Her comments come after US president Donald Trump threatened to stop all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.

China, a top trading partner with the North Koreans, or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, has called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

China's ambassador to the United Nations, Liu Jieyi,says dialogue is the key.

"We strongly urge the DPRK to face up squarely to the firm will of the international community on the issue of the denuclearisation of the Peninsula and earnestly abide by the relevant resolutions of the Council. Stop taking actions that are wrong, deteriorating the situation and not in line with its own interests either, and truly return to the track of solving the issue through dialogue. China will never allow chaos and war on the Peninsula."

Japan's UN ambassador, Koro Bessho, says maximum verbal pressure must be put on North Korea to change its behaviour.

"Japan strongly condemns North Korea and has directly lodged a protest against North Korea. Japan welcomes the fact that many countries in the world, including members of the Council, as well as the Secretary-General, they have already issued statements strongly condemning North Korea. The Security Council must act to stop North Korea from continuing down this road. We should make it clear to the North Koreans that continuation of the current policy will bring about serious consequences."

Meanwhile, European Union foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini says being strong on North Korea does not mean turning to the military.

Speaking in Slovenia at the annual Bled Strategic Forum, Ms Mogherini has reiterated her view that physical force will do more harm than good.

"There is no military solution to these tensions. Any attack could easily spiral into a large-scale conflict. It would be useless and harmful. The consequences would be unpredictable, certainly dramatic for the people of the Korean Peninsula, for the region and, most likely, for the entire world. A denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula can only be achieved through tough pressure, as I said, economic, diplomatic and peaceful means."

In Australia, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, have agreed to meet Donald Trump as soon as possible to discuss the crisis.

Defence Minister Marise Payne will leave for talks in South Korea tomorrow.

That comes as South Korea's intelligence services say they have detected signs that North Korea is apparently preparing the launch of yet another intercontinental ballistic missile.


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4 min read
Published 5 September 2017 2:00pm
Updated 5 September 2017 6:03pm
By Evan Young


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