UN council major powers fail to agree on N. Korea (Useless UN Alert!)

Reuters ^ | 4/8/03

[areafiftyone]

UNITED NATIONS, April 8 (Reuters) - Faced with rigid opposition from China, the U.N. Security Council's five major powers have failed to agree on a statement on the North Korean nuclear crisis to be issued after Wednesday's meeting, diplomats said on Tuesday.

Instead, the 15-nation council may make only brief comments to the media after the meeting that will not deal in a substantive manner with the impasse over Pyongyang's suspected nuclear weapons program, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The United States has been pushing the council to issue a statement condemning Pyongyang for withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and urging it to comply with its international obligations.

But in a private meeting of envoys from the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China that took place late on Monday, Paris and London backed that approach but Beijing was strongly opposed while Moscow was hesitant, diplomats said.

"The Chinese made it very clear they would oppose any consensus statement," said one council envoy.

The Security Council is due to hold its first discussions on the North Korean nuclear standoff on Wednesday after weeks of U.S. lobbying for a meeting.

'PRELUDE TO WAR'

The council has the power to punish nations for violating international anti-proliferation agreements. For example, it could impose economic sanctions on Pyongyang, although this is highly unlikely for now.

But North Korea has said it will ignore the council in any case and would view sanctions as a declaration of war.

Although Pyongyang says it abandoned the nonproliferation pact months ago, the International Atomic Energy Agency says its withdrawal from the treaty becomes official on Thursday with the end of a formal 90-day notice period.

The impoverished communist state -- officially named the Democratic People's Republic of Korea -- has accused Washington of pressing for the Security Council to take up the nuclear issue as "a prelude to war" once the Iraq conflict was over.

The United States has 37,000 troops in South Korea and President George W. Bush has lumped North Korea with Iraq and Iran as part of an "axis of evil."

North Korea says the crisis can be resolved only through bilateral talks with Washington that would lead to a new nonaggression pact between the two nations. The United States backs a multilateral approach and has been pressing Beijing, North Korea's closest ally, for support for its approach.

But China, which has backed North Korean demands for face-to-face talks between Washington and Pyongyang, said on Tuesday the Security Council would be of no help in resolving the impasse.

"We think intervention by the U.N. Security Council now cannot help resolve the North Korean nuclear issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters in Beijing.

[mewzilla]

Here we go again. For the dictionary definition of irrelevance see under UN.

[Mister Baredog]

"The Chinese made it very clear they would oppose any consensus statement,"

Looks like it's time for Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, to go Nuclear.

[areafiftyone]

They should be called the UM -- UMMMMMM!!!

[mewzilla]

LOL. Why we can't find the intestinal fortitude to tell these parasites to take their schtick elsewhere is beyond me.

[My2Cents]

The UN -- UNinspiring, UNgovernable, UNamerican.

[Mamzelle]

South Korea had nukes, now it doesn't. It likes for us to have them, though, so they can criticize us for protecting them.

[ex-Texan]

The U.N. is useless and irrelevant. Think that Bush should send Powell over to tell them to me to France. About 50% of the ambassadorial staffs are using their diplomatic status for spying anyway. Enough of this crapola.

Make them all eat Frog food. In France.

[areafiftyone]

I just had to move my cubie today. Now I have a view of the river and the UN. Lucky me </sarcasm>

[Eric in the Ozarks]

If there were ever any doubt about Red China's fingerprints on NK's nuclear crisis...

[San Jacinto]

The United States has been pushing the council to issue a statement condemning Pyongyang for withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and urging it to comply with its international obligations

The U.N. will not issue a statement!!!!!!!

Whew! I bet the North Koreans breathed a sigh of relief over that one!

[mewzilla]

What is it about April? Mr. Mew's getting a new cube, too :) They usually move in the spring. Sometimes I think just because they can't people to toss stuff any other way than to threaten to make them move it. Sorry about your view, though. Seeing the UN every day would do mean and nasty things to my BP.

[areafiftyone]

I spit in its general direction ;-)

[BillCompton]

Here we go again. For the dictionary definition of irrelevance see under UN.

I don't see how you lay this at the foot of the UN. China is the problem.

[Renfield]

China is using North Korea as a proxy in its conflict with the U.S., just as it uses Pakistan as a proxy in its conflict with India. Both nations were able to go nuclear only with direct technical aid from China. The sneaky calculation of the Chinese is that if NK attacks the US with nukes, or if Pakistan attacks India with nukes, a Chinese adversary is weakened without Chinese culpability. This ought to be obvious to everyone, but lots of people can't grasp the obvious. We ought to let China know that we're on to their game, and that if NK attacks us or any of our allies, we'll hold China directly responsible, and retaliate accordingly.

[bassmaner]

I can't help but thinking that Iraq is the opening act -- the real show will be in North Korea -- sooner than later.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Agree. The Red Chinese want us out of the Pacific and believe a showdown with the NK will be a shoving off point.

[Mamzelle]

BTW--some interesting things are happening in SK today and tomorrow. Richard Lawless is in Seoul discussing, I hope, US troop reductions in SK.

[RightWhale]

This ought to be obvious to everyone

N Kor is China's problem, and it is a huge embarrassment to them. But China can't control their awkward cousin any better now than at any time in the past 1500 years. That is to say, not at all.

[spunkets]

"I don't see how you lay this at the foot of the UN. China is the problem."

You don't and won't hear a peep out of any of the chorus of UN bozos regarding China's mad dog being unleashed and threating to bite people. Therein lies a large problem with the UN.