UNSC UNANIMOUSLY CONDEMNS DPRK MISSILE LAUNCHES,

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001379 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL MARR KNNP PARM UNSC KN SUBJECT: UNSC UNANIMOUSLY CONDEMNS DPRK MISSILE LAUNCHES, DEMANDS HALT TO MISSILE PROGRAM ¶1. The UN Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday, July 15 to condemn the recent North Korean missile launches. Resolution 1695 (2006) demands that North Korea "suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programme" and calls on member states to prevent "missile and missile-related items, materials, goods, and technology" from being transferred to or procured from the DPRK. The resolution also "strongly urges" North Korea to return to the Six-Party Talks and to work towards implementation of the 19 September 2005 Joint Statement. U.S. and Japanese efforts to gain an explicit reference to Chapter VII of the UN Charter were dropped in the face of a likely Chinese veto and French and UK efforts to find compromise language. Full text of Resolution 1695 at para 4. ¶2. Following passage, Japanese Vice-Minister Shintaro Ito emphasized that the DPRK's missile programs pose a very serious concern to the peace and stability of Japan. He called the Council's had sent a unified, strong and unmistakable message to the North Koreans, whom he hoped would comply fully with the resolution's provisions. Ambassador Bolton said that he hoped the resolution would "demonstrate to North Korea that the best way to(end its international isolation" by "restoring its missile moratorium, returning to the six-party talks, and implementing the terms of the (19 September 2005) joint statement." He added that the resolution affirmed that the launches and "the propensity of North Korea to proliferate (ballistic missile) technology" represented "a threat to international peace and security." Chinese PR Wang called for all parties to act "with restraint" in order to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Russian PR Churkin also called for restraint, noting that the resolution represented a compromise that sent an "appropriate signal" to the DPRK. The UK, France, Argentina and Tanzania also spoke. ¶3. Following Council members' statements, DPRK PR Pak Gil Yon "totally rejected" the resolution and stormed out of the meeting after telling Council members that the DRPK would "have no option but to take strong actions" should any country apply pressure on North Korea to cease the "routine military exercises," of which the missile launches are a part. The North Korean delegation further claimed that the missile launches were the legitimate right of a sovereign state and therefore not bound by any international law or multilateral agreement, such as the Joint Statement. The ROK PR, Choi Young-Jin, noted his government's appreciation for the Council's actions and called on the DPRK to return to the six-party talks and avoid further provocative actions. Replying to the DPRK statement, Ambassador Bolton noted that it had taken the DPRK less than forty-five minutes to reject the Council's resolution. ¶4. Begin text of Resolution 1695: The Security Council, Reaffirming its resolutions 825(1993) of 11 May 1993 and 1540 (2004) of 28 April 2004, Bearing in mind the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia at large, Reaffirming that proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, as well as their means of delivery, constitutes a threat to international peace and security, Expressing grave concern at the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) launch of ballistic missiles, given the potential of such systems to be used as a means to deliver nuclear, chemical or biological payloads, Registering profound concern at the DPRK's breaking of its pledge to maintain its moratorium on missile launching, Expressing further concern that the DPRK endangered civil aviation and shipping through its failure to provide adequate advance notice, Expressing its grave concern about DPRK's indication of possible additional launches of ballistic missiles in the near future, Expressing also its desire for a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the situation and welcoming efforts by Council members as well as other Member States to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue, Recalling that the DPRK launched an object propelled by a missile without prior notification to the countries in the region, which fell into the waters in the vicinity of Japan on 31 August 1998, Deploring the DPRK's announcement of withdrawal from the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (the Treaty) and its stated pursuit of nuclear weapons in spite of its Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards obligations, Stressing the importance of the implementation of the Joint Statement issued on 19 September 2005 by China, DPRK, Japan, Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the United States, Affirming that such launches jeopardise peace, stability and security in the region and beyond, particularly in light of the DPRK's claim that it has developed nuclear weapons, Acting under its special responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, ¶1. Condemns the multiple launches by the DPRK of ballistic missiles on 5 July 2006 local time; ¶2. Demands that the DPRK suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programme, and in this context re-establish its pre-existing commitments to a moratorium on missile launching; ¶3. Requires all Member States, in accordance with their national legal authorities and legislation and consistent with international law, to exercise vigilance and prevent missile and missile-related items, materials, goods and technology being transferred to DPRK's missile or WMD programmes; ¶4. Requires all Member States, in accordance with their national legal authorities and legislation and consistent with international law, to exercise vigilance and prevent the procurement of missiles or missile related-items, materials, goods and technology from the DPRK, and the transfer of any financial resources in relation to DPRK's missile or WMD programmes; ¶5. Underlines, in particular to the DPRK, the need to show restraint and refrain from any action that might aggravate tension, and to continue to work on the resolution of non-proliferation concerns through political and diplomatic efforts; ¶6. Strongly urges the DPRK to return immediately to the Six-Party Talks without precondition, to work towards the expeditious implementation of 19 September 2005 Joint Statement, in particular to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes, and to return at an early date to the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards; ¶7. Supports the six-party talks, calls for their early resumption, and urges all the participants to intensify their efforts on the full implementation of the 19 September 2005 Joint Statement with a view to achieving the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner and to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia; ¶8. Decides to remain seized of the matter. End Text. BOLTON