Posted on 7/10/2006, 7:44:59 AM by West Coast Conservative
A top U.S. official said America has the votes in the United Nations to level sanctions against North Korea.
State Department Undersecretary Nicholas Burns made that statement Sunday as other officials pressured China to back such a move. The North Korean ally, along with Russia, has so far resisted supporting sanctions.
Both those nations have veto power over any U.N. Security Council resolution to punish the Korean dictatorship for building nuclear bombs and defiantly launching seven test missiles last week.
China sent a delegation to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang Sunday, but Burns seemed confident China and Russia would swing to the U.S. side on sanctions.
"We think we've got the votes to pass that," Burns said on NBC's "Meet the Press," one of a number of TV pitches he made Sunday.
"When we get the results of this Chinese delegation to Pyongyang, I think you will then see us move ahead in New York at the Security Council," Burns said on CNN's "Late Edition."
"We hope that China and Russia are going to support this resolution."
A vote could come Monday.
Burns said the United States wants sanctions and talks with North Korea that include China, Russia, Japan and South Korea. He said China is in the best position to push the renegade nation into halting the weapons tests.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Burns is about to get burned... No way Russia and China will agree to impose sanctions.
All these 'harsh sanctions' entail is stuff that should have already been done under the UN treaty on nuclear containment, requiring UN member states to prevent the transfer of any technology that could be used in North Korea's missile or nuclear weapons program, prevent the purchase of anything related to these programs from Pyongyang, and stop any money transfers. This is what Kim's been waiting for. Now all he needs is an oil-for-food program and he'll be rich enough to abdicate to Switzerland and own it!
It only starves out the citizens and pi$$es 'em off, and they grow hate Americans (even more).
The fat cats continue to do bad things while their people suffer.
Stupid, stupid idea!
Bet any money the Russki's and Chicoms take turns in vetoing an attempt at sanctions.
You're right. It starves them, makes medical care almost impossible and makes it very difficult for average citizens to get day-to-day needs like petrol.
I've heard the stories from the Iraqis and I'll never favor economic sanctions again. The innocent suffer and the dictators get fatter and fatter.
We need stronger action against North Korea.
Those people are already starving. A sanction would simply be another day at the labor camp for them.
Cutting Kim off from his endless supply of moon-pies simply isn't a viable solution to this problem (it worked so well in Cuba, didn't it?) It doesn't even make sense, the only people hurt by sactions are the North Korean people. The UN obviously intends to see this situation escalate out of control.
Yep. China and Russia simply draw lots for which one abstains and which one vetos the measure this time.
I sincerely doubt that China REALLY wants NK to stop being a Commie PITA to the US. Russia either for that matter. I suspect they view this as a continuance of the cold war. They do not want a world where the US is the lone super power.
According to NK, sanctions=war. Lets call their bluff!
I remember Ronald Reagan making the same argument when many countries wanted to impose economic sanctions on South Africa. They called him a racist; but his point was yours, that the ones hurt are those at the bottom. What we need is something that will hurt Ronery ... How about free satellite TV for North Korea? We could parachute in reception sets, and show episodes of Lost. Even people stranded on an island after a plane crash have more food and medical care, not to mention the latest fashions.
You'd think so. The thing is Abo, the Japanese Foreign Minister, went public with a statement that Russia and China may abstain. "May" is a weak word, but the fact he said it publicly, without an expression of hope, sounds to me like diplomatic understatement for something he expects.
I'm speculating both Russia and China have received through back channels a Japanese threat to rescind Article 9, and possibly even declare Japan as a nuclear weapons state, if they don't go along with the sanctions resolution.
While we're at it, we should tell the current Seoul administration that we will immediately withdraw ALL of our forces from Korean soil. Leave them to their brothers from the North since the current thinking in Seoul these days is that the Americans and Japanese are much more hostile and dangerous than their beloved dictator. The South Koreans are getting becoming second only to the Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys of Paris in terms of appeasement.
I think you are assuming the N. Korea is much better off. Unless you me Kerosene for heating and cooking, these people are mostly worried about food.
It was that way when I was there in 85.
My point is that it's simply not a viable solution.
Economic sanctions solve absolutely nothing and end up creating more problems.
If not sanctions, what would you suggest be done when a military option is neither appropriate nor particularly palatable even if it were?
I'm kind of busy watching another war right now. And I don't call the shots in that one, either.
I know you have an opinion. Come on.
By the way: Lovely pictures. Well maybe not what's in the background, but nevertheless lovely.
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