Moscow Opposes New UNSC Resolution Seeking to Suffocate North Korea
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Moscow has called some aspects of a new UN resolution on North Korea that is being prepared unacceptable. In particular, the Russian deputy foreign minister said, the resolution should not be aimed at economic suffocation of Pyongyang.
The elaboration of a new resolution on North Korea is underway, yet there are some aspects in it that Russia finds unacceptable, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Monday.
"The work is underway, consultations on the resolution are underway, but things are not so simple with it, there is a series of aspects which need to be discussed thoroughly, there are several aspects which are unacceptable to us in this draft," Gatilov told reporters.
The new UN Security Council resolution on North Korea should not seek to suffocate Pyongyang economically, Gatilov said, Sputnik reported.
"This resolution should not be aimed at economic suffocation of North Korea, while its contents presently reflect this," he added.
According to Gatilov, Russia has repeatedly condemned North Korean missile launches and nuclear activities, and that is why the UN resolution should target specifically this area.
"Unfortunately, things that we have seen so far, do not meet these goals," the diplomat added.
The leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the German city of Hamburg and agreed to press for prompt adoption of a new resolution by the UN Security Council that would impose additional sanctions on North Korea. France and the United Kingdom have also called for new restrictive measures against Pyongyang.
On July 4, North Korea announced it had successfully launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile, saying it traveled 580 miles and reached an altitude of 1,740 miles during its 39-minute flight before accurately hitting a targeted area in the Sea of Japan. The test was sharply criticized by the international community.