The United Nations Security Council has
unanimously imposed its toughest sanctions on North Korea, placing a cap
on the hermit state's key coal exports after its defiant nuclear tests.
The
new sanctions resolution — which was spearheaded by the United States
and came after three months of tough negotiations with fellow
veto-wielding council member China — passed by a 15-0 vote.
The
resolution demands that North Korea "abandon all nuclear weapons and
existing nuclear programmes" and takes aim at the state's exports of
coal, its top external revenue source.
Under
Resolution 2321, North Korea will be restricted from exporting more
than 7.5 million tonnes of coal in 2017, a reduction of 62 percent from
2015.
$700 MILLION BLOW
Ms
Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said the
resolution would strip the regime of more than $700 million in hard
currency, dramatically reducing the money it can spend on nuclear and
ballistic weapons.
Speaking to
reporters with her counterparts from US allies South Korea and Japan,
she said the move marked "the strongest sanctions regime the Security
Council has imposed on any country in more than a generation."
"So
long as the DPRK makes the choice it has made, which is to pursue the
path of violations instead of the path of dialogue, we will continue to
work to increase the pressure and defend ourselves and allies from this
threat," Ms Power said, referring to the North by its official name, the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
CHINE JOINS PRESSURE
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged all countries to enforce the resolution.
"It
sends an unequivocal message that the DPRK must cease further
provocative actions and comply fully with its international
obligations," said Ban, who has flirted with entering politics in his
native South Korea after his term ends in a month.
Ban
said he was still committed to "sincere dialogue" to resolve the
nuclear issue and stood by calls to provide humanitarian assistance to
ease the suffering of ordinary North Koreans.
China is North Korea's primary ally and one of the few markets for its coal.
US-S.KOREA LASHED
Although
Beijing has traditionally protected Pyongyang diplomatically, believing
that Kim Jong-Un's regime is preferable to its collapse, it has grown
frustrated by the neighbouring state's defiance.
China's
UN ambassador, Liu Jieyi, reiterated that Beijing "strongly opposes"
the North Korean nuclear tests — but also made a veiled criticism of
joint exercises between the United States and South Korea.
"Certain
parties increase their military presence and scale up military
exercises, thus intensifying the confrontation," he said at the Council.
"This situation must be changed as soon as possible," he said.
Expanding breadth of sanctions
The
UN Security Council resolution condemns "in the strongest terms" North
Korea's nuclear test on September 9 — the communist state's second this
year.
Pyongyang claimed at the time
that it had made major strides in its efforts to fit a miniaturised
warhead on a missile that could reach the United States.
North
Korea, which insists its nuclear weapons are a deterrent to US
"aggression," brushed aside earlier sanctions that targeted its weapons
exports, access to financial markets and imports of luxury goods.
In
addition to coal, the Security Council on Wednesday banned North Korea
from exporting certain metals, including copper, silver, zinc and
nickel, that bring in an estimated $100 million a year.
11 BLACKLISTED
The
Security Council also added 10 companies and 11 individuals— including
the former North Korean ambassadors to Egypt and Myanmar — to a
blacklist under which their travel is restricted and assets frozen due
to their alleged role in Pyongyang's military programmes.
Although
the outgoing US administration of President Barack Obama has generally
favoured dialogue over conflict, it has taken a tough line on North
Korea after Pyongyang rebuffed early overtures.
Ms Power said the latest resolution is groundbreaking because it also takes North Korea to task for its human rights violations.
RIGHTS LOSS
In
another rare clause, the resolution threatens North Korea with some
losses of diplomatic rights at the United Nations if it violates
resolutions.
But Japan's UN envoy, Koro Bessho, voiced willingness to return to dialogue if North Korea shows a "serious commitment."
"We
are introducing sanctions not for the sake of introduction sanctions,"
he said, "but in order to change the course of DPRK policy."
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