Posted on 07/09/2006 4:01:35 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Aso thinks Russia, China may abstain on U.N. resolution on N. Korea
TOKYO, July 9 KYODO
Foreign Minister Taro Aso expressed the view Sunday that Russia and China may abstain from a U.N. Security Council vote on a resolution calling for sanctions against North Korea over its missile launches, rather than exercising their veto powers.
Russia, which along with China is sympathetic to North Korea, could be leaning toward abstaining given its role as host of the July 15-17 Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, Aso said during a TV Asahi program.
''It is normal (for Russia) to think of avoiding a situation in which (the rest of the summit members) support Japan and the summit chair is isolated. There is a possibility of abstention,'' he said.
Russia is hosting a G-8 summit for the first time and is keen on making the summit a success.
On the premise that Russia will move toward Japan's resolution in the form of an abstention, Aso said, ''We hope (China) will abstain. Based on common sense, it is unthinkable for China to be alone and exercising its veto power.''
The draft resolution was proposed Friday jointly to the council by Japan, the United States, Britain and France -- all members of the G-8. The remaining G-8 members are Canada, Germany and Italy plus Russia.
The council is expected to hold a vote on the resolution Monday.
China and Russia, two of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the council, failed in their attempt to get the council to adopt a nonbinding presidential statement instead.
China -- considered to have the most influence on North Korea as a traditional political ally of Pyongyang and a major benefactor to the impoverished nation -- in particular holds the key to the resolution's outcome, and the possibility is seen high that Beijing will veto the resolution.
North Korea on Wednesday test-fired seven missiles, in defiance of international calls not to do so, prompting Japan and the United States to denounce the launches as ''provocative,'' urge Pyongyang to stop any further launches and call for international unity in passing the U.N. resolution.
At issue is whether China and Russia would go as far as vetoing the proposed resolution or simply abstaining from it. Japan has been making efforts for the past few days to persuade these two nations not to block the resolution and to get the solid support of the nine other nonpermanent members of the 15-member Security Council.
The Security Council consists of five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- and 10 nonpermanent members, including Japan, serving on a two-year rotating basis.
The Japanese government had eyed putting the resolution to a vote as early as Saturday but decided to put it off until Monday in deference to Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, who is scheduled to visit North Korea from Monday in a bid to find a breakthrough in the current crisis.
Then there will be expanded sanctions on Chinese banking institutions as well as N. Korean overseas accounts. S. Korea may be also hit by this expanded financial sanction, unless it ceases all economic ties with N. Korea.
To get rid of Kim Jong-il regime, first its protective layer, made up of Chinese regime and S. Korean pinko goverment, should be stripped. We will hear stepped-up howling and screaming from various entities aiding and abetting N. Korean regime in the days ahead, with or witout passage of this security council resolution. I think we are going into the end game soon.
Ping!
"Then there will be expanded sanctions on Chinese banking institutions as well as N. Korean overseas accounts. S. Korea may be also hit by this expanded financial sanction, unless it ceases all economic ties with N. Korea."
Yeah, well, pass me that soju when you're done with it, you must have the good stuff.
The U.S. will never have the balls to sanction China again. If we didn't do shit when they shot down our plane, we sure won't do anything over them propping up a tinpot like Kim.
I don't know. Time passes and things change. Financial institutions are weak spots of China, too, not just N. Korea. BDA of Macau was slapped with sanctions by U.S., whether China liked it or not at the time. U.S. can certainly target more Chinese banks.
Recently, some CFR types are advocating preemptive strikes to N. Korea, who are not Clintonoids. You would not imagine such a talk a few years ago. They are spouting only global free trade happy talk, and their theme has always been talk, negotiation, and appeasement.
Apparently the only think the U.N. is good for is that it allows one to properly identify some of their enemies. One Dummy. Two Ventriloquist. So far.
I agree. U.N. is a great place to run a enemy-test and find out who the adversaries are. It is d*mn expensive to maintain, though.
China should know we have an old American saying: Curb your dog.
A few, although the Krintinoids were obnoxiously omnipresent last week -- Madame Nothalfbright schtupping for her alleged ministerial services. She likes clinking champagne glasses with Chia Head -- that's her idea of diplomacy.
But obviously some CFR types know Chia Head is capable of screwing up SEA, which to a great degree equals their clientele.
Potentially they wonder how is it that the PLA cannot be convinced that they can still have a NK Sockpuppet to their liking, just not this Sockpuppet...
Good. The Taiwan question has this element of it, too. Taiwanese limpwristers are not nearly as bad as their SoKo counterparts, but there is a large group in Taiwan that would give in to China the same way that the SK appeasers want to give in to Kimmy.
What amazes me is how Americans (esp Freepers) go nutz about WalMart, and then buy Hyundais, Samsung TVs and LG phones from a marginal "ally" like South Korea. Why not by French, too!?
When did they shoot down our plane? Do you mean where their pilot name Wong Wei(Ironic eh opps wrong way!) slammed into our ep3? They would suffer retaliation if they shot down a US plane.
My guess is that Russia will abstain, and if China fails in this last ditch diplomatic attempt theyve engaged in right now, they've probably given a backdoor assurance to abstain and not veto if NK doesn't offer some type of gesture before the vote.
in Chins's view it's all about choosing the lesser of the two evils
The only thing that Russia and China get from backing North Korea is the pleasure of watching NK be a pain to the United States.
They certainly don't have any mutually beneficial economic relationship with NK. They don't need the ports.
In the end (when the "end" will be I don't know) it's all going to come down to a business decision: Do China and Russia benefit more from propping up a White Elephant like North Korea or do they pal up more (in an economic sense) to the West where everything they want and need is available?
It's a tide they know they cannot, nor particularly want to, turn back.
Ping to good info, thanks to Tiger.
Going on record with this makes me wonder whether Japan hasn't communicated by back channels a threat to rescind Article 9, and possibly even declare itself as a nuclear weapons state, if they don't let the resolution pass. (The comment from the Defense Minster a while back about a decision for nuclear weapons on Monday sufficing for acquisition by Friday suggests that such a threat would not be vacuous.)
Yes, it is entirely possible. The last thing China wants is nuclear Japan unshackled from Article 9.
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