Summary:
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Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Council on Monday afternoon that the UN Secretary-General still thought the launch was wrong. That tensions on the Korean Peninsula should be eased.
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The Secretary-General said that the international community’s differences had kept it from taking action against the DPRK and other threats to international peace and security. “
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He added that pursuing a nuclear-weapons-free world remains the Secretary-General’s top priority.
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“Decrease tensions and prevent an increase provided three recommendations for easing tensions.
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The humanitarian situation is ending, Mr. Khiari said that the UN is still worried about the case for people in the DPRK. He told the council that “the UN is ready to help the DPRK with its medical and other humanitarian needs.
Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Council on Monday afternoon that the UN Secretary-General still thought the launch was wrong. That tension on the Korean Peninsula should be eased.
The Secretary-General said that the international community’s differences had kept it from taking action against the DPRK and other threats to international peace and security. “There must be cooperation on the Korean Peninsula.”
Respect commitments
The Council meeting was called after the DPRK declared that it had launched a long-range ballistic missile on Saturday that touched down in the Sea of Japan after traveling approximately 990 kilometers.
According to Pyongyang, this was followed on Monday by a launch practice using two “tactical nuclear” rockets.
Mr. Khiari said, “The Secretary-General reiterates his calls for the DPRK to stop taking provocative actions right away, fully comply with its obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions, and resume dialogue that will lead to lasting peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
The nuclear race continues
He said that the DPRK has made it clear that it will keep working on its ballistic missile and nuclear bomb programs even though the Council has told it not to.
The country is still following a five-year military plan made public in January 2021 that called for, among other things, the creation of new intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Also, the DPRK has often warned against so-called “counteractions” to military drills in the area. It has called the Council’s meeting on non-proliferation last week “an act of hostility that the DPRK is forced to respond to in kind,” he said.
Role of the Security Council
Mr. Khiari says that today’s meeting shows that keeping peace and security worldwide is the Security Council’s primary job.
The conference is a chance to talk about how to solve the problem on the Korean Peninsula in a diplomatic, political, diplomatic, and peaceful way.
He thought back to how the DPRK’s 70 missile launches last year “greatly increased” the use of ballistic missile technology.
According to reports, the launches involved equipment with nuclear bomb functions.
Most of the tested systems can reach sections of North America and can attack targets on the Korean Peninsula.
Nuclear weapons ban objective
In September, the DPRK also passed a new law that said when and how it could use nuclear weapons, even if it had to do so before it was asked to.
“A seventh nuclear test would clearly violate Security Council resolutions and weaken the international ban on atomic testing.” He added that pursuing a nuclear-weapons-free world remains the Secretary-General’s top priority.
According to Mr. Khiari, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is still getting worse as tensions are rising because of “the negative action-reaction cycle, with no off-ramps in sight.”
Decrease tensions and prevent an increase
He provided three recommendations for easing tensions.
The official said, “First, the DPRK needs to act immediately to restart talks that will lead to a lasting peace and the complete, verifiable disarmament of the Korean Peninsula.” “Part of this should be that the DPRK doesn’t launch any more ballistic missiles or do any more nuclear tests.”
He said the second step shows that diplomacy, not isolation, is the only way forward. He was glad that the Council was committed to a diplomatic, nonviolent, complete, and peaceful solution.
Mr. Khiari emphasized in his third step the importance of avoiding unintentional escalation. “Communication channels need to be improved, especially military-to-military communication.” By not using aggressive language, political tensions will go down and there will be more room to look at diplomatic options.
The humanitarian situation
Before ending, Mr. Khiari said that the UN is still worried about the situation for people in the DPRK.
He told the council that “the UN is ready to help the DPRK with its medical and other humanitarian needs.”
“We ask again that international professionals, especially the Resident Coordinator, and humanitarian supplies be able to get in without any problems so that we can respond quickly and effectively.”