US calls special meeting at UN, claiming other countries have undermined sanctions against North Korea
China, which is North Korea’s closest ally, is responsible for more than 90 per cent of the isolated country’s trade
The United States has called an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council for Monday in response to what it says are efforts by some countries “to undermine and obstruct” sanctions against North Korea.
The US Mission announced on Friday evening that the meeting will “discuss the implementation and enforcement of UN sanctions on North Korea”.
The mission didn’t name any countries, but US Ambassador Nikki Haley accused Russia on Thursday of pressuring an independent panel of UN experts to alter a report on North Korea sanctions that included alleged violations “implicating Russian actors”.
Haley said the panel should release the original report, which cited “a massive increase in illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products” for North Korea in violation of UN sanctions. It said some products allegedly were offloaded from Russian ships, which were identified in the report.
A summary of the experts’ report obtained in early August also said North Korea has not stopped its nuclear and missile programmes. And it said North Korea is violating sanctions by transferring coal at sea and flouting an arms embargo and financial sanctions.
The Security Council initially imposed sanctions on North Korea after its first nuclear test in 2006 and has made them tougher and tougher in response to further nuclear tests and an increasingly sophisticated ballistic missile programme.
Haley said earlier this year that successively tough Security Council sanctions resolutions adopted unanimously had cut off all North Korean exports, 90 per cent of its trade, and disbanded its pool of workers send abroad to earn hard currency.