The United Nations: The UN Security Council on Wednesday gathered behind a closed door for an emergency meeting on the latest North Korean ballistic missile test which states member countries “the main threat,” the French Ambassador said.
In the past, such meetings – mentioned by Estonia and France – often resulted in a joint statement by European members from the Security Council.
But the French Ambassador for the United Nations, Nicolas de Riviere, said there was a consensus among the group.
“We all condemn what happened, the test,” he said.
“Everyone is very concerned about this situation,” De Riviere told several journalists after a 45-minute meeting.
“This is the main threat to peace and security, it is a clear violation of the resolution of the council,” he added, by saying that the missile had fallen “in the Japanese exclusive economic zone.” “Of course we need political dialogue, political solutions, but the prerequisites are the Compliance (by) DPRK with the resolution of the UN Security Council,” De Riviere said, using an acronym for North Korea.
“This is a threat to the non-proliferation regime, it is a threat to the world, it is a threat to neighbors DPRK: South Korea, Japan,” he said.
He added that there was no draft statement together which was expected to come from the Security Council.
“We fully understand worries in this region and we urge the DPRK to obedience and resume the discussion.” In a statement from London, meanwhile, the British Foreign Office condemned the test as a “clear violation” of the resolution of the Security Council and “threats to regional peace and security,” because the United States has also done.
“We urge North Korea to refrain from further provocation, and to return to dialogue with the US,” British statement said.
Earlier Wednesday, South Korea fired a submarine ballistic missile and North Korea again fired two ballistic missiles into the sea, in what appeared to have become a weapon race between two countries who were technically fighting.
South Korea is not subject to a ban on launching ballistic missile tests, according to the UN diplomatic source.
It is different from North Korea, which has faced a series of severe economic sanctions, especially since 2017, because the international community seeks to limit the northern nuclear and nuclear weapons programs.