After Russia effectively suspended its UN monitoring mission, Washington is seeking alternatives.
The United States is considering options to create a new mechanism to monitor sanctions against North Korea's nuclear program.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday that the U.S. government is considering options inside and outside the United Nations. Russia last month vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution updating the U.N. panel that has overseen North Korea's compliance with international sanctions.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters that the United States is considering working with allies South Korea, Japan and other “like-minded” countries on alternatives.
“The important thing here is that we cannot allow the work that the expert committee has done to go to waste,” she asserted.
Moscow's veto effectively abolished the system established nearly two decades ago to monitor North Korea's compliance with U.N. sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
Russia's move follows accusations by the United States, South Korea and others that North Korea is supplying Russia with weapons for use in the Ukraine war.
Thomas-Greenfield declined to provide details of the discussion. In particular, is an alternative monitoring regime more likely to be established through the UN General Assembly or entirely outside the UN?
He said it was clear that Russia and China, which abstained from voting on the UN resolution that Russia vetoed, would seek to thwart international efforts to keep UN sanctions against North Korea under scrutiny. insisted.
“We do not expect them to cooperate or agree with any efforts we make to find an alternative path, but that will not prevent us from finding a path forward.” Thomas Greenfield said.
The Security Council imposed sanctions after North Korea's first nuclear test detonation in 2006 and has tightened them over the years with 10 resolutions calling for funding cuts and curbs on its nuclear and missile programs, but so far have failed. ing.
The last sanctions resolution was adopted by the Council in December 2017.
The Security Council has set up a committee to monitor the sanctions, and until last month the mandate of the Committee of Experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently ordered an accelerated program of missile tests and increased war preparedness.