Europeans at UN blast 13 NKorea missile tests since May

UNITED NATIONS

European members of UN Security Council on Wednesday accused North Korea of “provocative” behavior by carrying out 13 ballistic missile tests since May and urged it to scrap its nuclear and arms programs.

A statement from Britain, Belgium, France, Germany, and Poland, together with Estonia, which will join the council in January, said they were “deeply concerned” by Pyongyang’s “continued testing of ballistic missiles,” including the most recent launch on Nov 28.

“We condemn these provocative actions,” said the six-nation statement. “They undermine regional security and stability, as well as international peace and security, and are in clear violation of unanimously adopted U.N. Security Council resolutions.”

The Europeans urged Pyongyang to “engage in good faith in meaningful negotiations” with the U.S. over denuclearization and to nix all “weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner”.

“There is no other way to achieve security and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Continued provocations risk undermining the prospect for successful negotiations,” the Euro-group said in their statement.

Council members discussed North Korea behind closed doors and received a briefing from Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN’s head of political affairs, Britain’s UN mission said. The 15-nation body did not issue any statement.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump have met three times since June last year in an effort to kickstart talks over Pyongyang dismantling its nuclear and missile programs. But progress has stalled and Pyongyang, which has been under UN sanctions since 2006, has restarted test-firing its short-range ballistic missiles.