US
Power Vows
Accountability
for North
Korea, Japan
Hasn't Seen?
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 25
-- North
Korea launched
a rocket and
satellite, a
month after
the Security
Council
tersely
condemned the
last test, and
just before US
football's
Super Bowl.
On
February 25 in
front of the
UN Security
Council, US
Ambassador
Samantha Power
said, "There
must be and
there will be
accountability
for North
Korea's
actions." (But
not for the
UN's actions,
apparently,
see below).
Japan's
PR Motohide
Yoshikawa when
asked what's
in the draft
said he would
get a copy
inside the
consultations.
Could the US
not have
shared the
draft with its
UNSC ally
Japan?
French
PR Francois
Delattre, when
asked what the
strongest
element in the
draft is, said
You will soon
see. So he's
seen it, but
not Japan?
So:
restrictions
on the use of
ports? Further
exclusion from
the
international
financial
system? And
what of the pending
free press
outrage at the
UN?
As the
UN Security
Council's 11
am Sunday
meeting began,
French
Ambassador
Francois
Delattre stood
on the
entrance steps
making points
in French and
English.
China's
Ambassdor Liu
Jieyi squeezed
by the stairs
and, when
almost into
the Council,
turned and
said, "We are
greatly
concerned, we
are working
with the
Council." Video here.
After UN
(formerly US)
official
Jeffrey
Feltman
briefed the
Security
Council behind
closed doors,
the Council
agreed on a
Press
Statement,
read out at
the stakeout
by Rafael
Ramirez of
Venezuela,
President for
February.
Inner City
Press tweeted
a photo of the
Press
Statement,
here; it
says “the
Security
Council will
adopt
expeditiously
a new Security
Council
resolution.”
But on
his way out,
Russia's
Ambassador
Vitaly Churkin
said, “We
haven't seen a
text at all.”
He said Russia
would like to
see a re-start
of the Six
Party Talks
abut that
“currently the
atmosphere is
such that the
resumption of
those talks is
unlikely.”
In a three way
stakeout
(complete with
one question
each from US,
Japanese and
Korean media),
US Ambassador
Power cited
Presidents
Obama and Xi
Jinping's
phone
conversation,
saying “they
agreed on the
importance
of a
strong and
united
international
response to
North Korea’s
illegal
actions,
including
through an
impactful UN
Security
Council
resolution.”
South Korea's
Ambassador Oh
Joon said,
“about the
missile
defense, as
you know the
Republic of
Korea and
United States
announced
yesterday an
alliance
decision to
improve the
existing
missile
defense
system. As the
terminology
first, this is
missile
defense
system, which
is defensive
in nature. And
it shouldn’t
worry anyone
else because
this is
focused on
North Korea’s
provocations
and predicated
on North
Korea’s
provocations.”
Before the
meeting
Japan's
Ambassador
Yoshikawa said
it is time to
use the
pressure, as
fast
transcribed by
InnerCityPro.com:
Yoshikawa:
Good morning.
Thank you for
coming on
Sunday
morning. We
were very
shocked at the
DPRK has
launched
themissile
despite the
warning coming
from many
corners of the
world. And
thisis a clear
violation of
the past
Security
Council
resolutions,
whether you
call it a
satellite or
what. Using
their missile
technology is
a clear
violation of
the UN
security
council
resolutions,
and it came
after, four
weeks after
the nuclear
test. So we
hope that
today the
Council will
make ourselves
very clear
that we cannot
condone the
acts, the
violation of
the Security
Council
resolutions by
DORK. And it
went over
Japan, it
landed near
the
Philippines.
This is a
clear threat
to the lives
of many
people.
Q: You must be
frustrated
with China.
A: China was
for more
dialogue, I
think. What we
need is no
longer the
dialogue, but
using the
pressure to
make
understood the
DPRK.
Q: What do you
expect today?
A: We will be
asking for
expeditious,
adoption of
the robust
Security
Council
resolution.
On
Saturday night
some members
of the
Security
Council
announced they
had requested
an emergency
meeting for 11
am, on holding
of which the
Council's
President for
February
confirmed to
Inner City
Press: "Is
confirmed the
emergency
meeting of the
Security
Council
tomorrow at 11
am on North
Korea."
This came as
the French
mission told
Reuters it
wasn't yet
confirmed,
giving rise to
a question
related to
Reuters spin
of the DR
Congo Grou p
of Experts
report's two
paragraphs on
Rwanda and
Burundi.
French PR
Delattre,
despite the
urging on
FranceDiplo,
is still not
on Twitter,
walked away
(politely)
from Press
questions on
Burundi and
the Syrian
Kurds (Vine
here). The
French UN
spokesman who
threw Inner
City Press out
of the Press
Briefing Room,
as for the
past five
days, didn't
answer. Watch
this site.
What
about UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon? Last
time he met
with his
senior
advisers --
all male --
then issued a
statement.
Then on
February 5 he
told a UNA-UK
audience in
London how
important
gender
empowerment
has been to
him.
If Ban
is in fact
running for
President in
South Korea,
how will this
help him? And
any shadow
over the US
Super Bowl?
Any (early)
question in
the GOP
debate? We'll
be following
this.
Back on
January 6
after North
Korea
announced it
had tested a
hydrogen bomb,
at the UN a
Security
Council
meeting was
called for 11
am. Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon read a
statement at
the UNSC
stakeout at
10:30 am,
taking no
question as
usual.
After 1
pm, Security
Council
President for
January Elbio
Rosselli of
Uruguay
emerged and
read out a
Press
Statement
below. Japan's
Ambassador
Motohide
Yoshikawa
spoke, and
Inner City
Press asked
him of Ban's
moves to visit
DPRK. He
replied that
if such a trip
emphasized UN
resolutions
including on
human rights,
it could be
useful. Video
here. But
what WAS Ban's
trip going to
be about?
Earlier, UNTV
fed out B-roll
of Ban meeting
with his
advisers --
Kim Won-soo
and Jeff
Feltman
formerly of
the US State
Department, Vine here -- and Ban canceled a
previously
scheduled
(also “no
questions”)
appearance
that Inner
City Press and
the Free
UN Coalition
for Access
critiqued
here.
Back on
November 17,
2015 when Ri
Hung Sik,
Ambassador
at-large of
the Democratic
People's
Republic of
Korean, held a
press
conference at
the North
Korean
mission, he
said that he
had heard
nothing,
nothing at
all, about UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
visiting North
Korea, which
Yonhap
ascribed to a
senior UN
source.
Even when
asked a
leading
question about
a hypothetical
Ban trip, Ri
Hung Sik said
Ban's UN would
have to
improve its
relations with
DPRK. Inner
City Press is
putting
the audio
online here,
and embedded
below.
Inner
City Press ran
back to the UN
and asked
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, transcript here:
Inner City
Press: here
was just a
press
conference at
the Democratic
People's
Republic of
Korea (DPRK)
mission, and
there their
minister, Ri
Hung Sik,
asked about
the
Secretary-General's
possible
reported trip,
said he's
heard nothing
about it at
all and that
there are many
rumours on the
internet.
He also said
that this
South Korean
national
security law
that makes it
illegal for
South Korean
citizens to
speak
positively of
the DPRK…
that's how he
described it…
should be
looked at by
the UN.
So I wanted to
know, what is
the
Secretary-General's
view of that
law? And
if that's an
accurate
description,
is he bound by
it?
Spokesman:
I'm not aware
of the
law. As
far as Ban
Ki-moon, he is
the
Secretary-General
of the United
Nations and is
doing his duty
as such.
But why did
Team Ban play
it so coy on
Yonhap's
report? Now
late on
November 17,
the UN has
issued this
more specific
denial:
"In response
to questions
asked about a
report from
Xinhua and the
Korean Central
News Agency
stating that
the
Secretary-General
would be
travelling to
the Democratic
People’s
Republic of
Korea next
week, the
Spokesman had
the following
to say: The
Secretary-General
will not be
travelling to
the DPRK next
week. He will
be in New York
most of the
week and then
travel to
Malta for the
Commonwealth
Summit. From
there, he will
go to directly
to Paris to
attend CoP21.
The
Secretary-General
has repeatedly
said that he
is willing to
play any
constructive
role,
including
traveling to
the DPRK, in
an effort to
work for
peace,
stability and
dialogue on
the Korean
Peninsula."
Before
Inner City
Press left the
DPRK mission
on November
17, it asked
Ri Hung Sik
for his view
of UN Special
Rapporteur
Marzuki
Darusman and
when or if UN
High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights Prince
Zeid will
visit North
Korea.
Of
Darusman, Ri
Hung Sik said
he met him
only once, and
that it seems
Darusman does
not speak his
own words, or
think his own
thoughts. Of
Zeid, he said
the discussion
is of
technical
cooperation,
but no date
was given. Video here.
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