Russia, China Block Informal UN Talks on N. Korea

Reuters ^

[RCW2001]

Feb. 26 — UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Following objections from China and Russia, the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members on Wednesday put off plans to informally discuss the North Korean nuclear crisis, diplomats said.

France, the current coordinator for the council's five members with veto power, had called a meeting of the group -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China -- to discuss how the council should respond to North Korea's suspected revival of its once-dormant nuclear arms program.

Paris set the meeting for Wednesday at the suggestion of several council members including Germany, who wanted the full 15-nation council to pick up the pace of its deliberations on the North Korea dossier, one council diplomat said.

"But neither the Russians nor the Chinese wanted to go ahead with the meeting," the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Beijing was "not yet ready to enter any new discussions on that in the Security Council, at least for this week," a Chinese diplomat told Reuters.

China wants Washington to begin direct talks with Pyongyang while Russia feels the matter should be resolved through diplomatic initiatives outside the United Nations.

The meeting was called off before a U.S. official announced on Wednesday that North Korea had reactivated its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon within the last 24 hours, raising the stakes in its diplomatic showdown with the United States.

The crisis was referred to the Security Council earlier this month by the governing board of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The council has the power to punish nations for violating international treaties and U.N. rules aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.

North Korea has said it would view a decision by the council to punish it with economic sanctions as a "declaration of war." It says the only way to resolve the issue is through direct talks between Pyongyang and Washington.

[Just mythoughts]

So the Moscow/Beijing Pact of late 1940's still in effect.

[lady lawyer]

Interesting, isn't it, how the Security Council is condemning the US for acting "unilaterally" in Irag, and demanding the lay all the ground rules. But on Korea, they are rejecting US calls to get involved -- even though the Koreans are in violation of UN treaties -- and they want the USA, unilaterally, to hold talks with Korea.

The only common thread is that they oppose whatever the US wants to do.

[Steel Wolf]

So if Russia, China and the other great powers don't want to get involved into tough international emergencies, why exactly do we have the United Nations? I could have sworn that it is the precisely the sort of thing we have it around for.

If the U.N. is to have no role other than to keep us under wraps, then why exactly are we paying 25% of the U.N.'s budget? Why are we even a member?

The League of Nations is killing itself off right before our eyes. Iraq was a critical wound, but they could recover in time. If North Korea goes down badly due to the great powers fumbling the ball, then the U.N. is done for.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Wonder what they have planned russia/china ?

Are they gonna start something as soon as we go to war with iraq? You dont think china/russia would have the gonads to attack the U.S. Mainland do you? or would china see this as their best time to invade taiwan? whith russian backing or maybe they will stir the beehive in N.Korea Causing them to try and launch on the U.S. or its allies in the gulf?

Questions, queations, questions.

[geedee]

Interesting, isn't it, how the Security Council is condemning the US for acting "unilaterally" in Irag, and demanding the lay all the ground rules. But on Korea, they are rejecting US calls to get involved -- even though the Koreans are in violation of UN treaties -- and they want the USA, unilaterally, to hold talks with Korea.

Nice analysis . . . and deadly accurate!

[optimistically_conservative]

I wonder. With all our active, reserve and NG being called up to deploy overseas, and the massive effort to disarm the American citizen the last decade, could we fend off such an attack if it came?