Russia blocks extension of mandate of UN experts to monitor sanctions against North Korea
Russia imposed on Thursday March 28 the dissolution of the UN sanctions monitoring system against North Korea and its nuclear program. A Russian veto in the Security Council deemed “
irresponsible
” by South Korea and castigated by the United States and its allies.
Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Vostochny cosmodrome, Russia, September 13, 2023. (Illustrative image). AP
By: RFI with AFP
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The future of the UN panel on sanctions against
North Korea
is darkening. On Thursday, at the UN Security Council, Russia vetoed the renewal of its mandate. An episode which illustrates the growing tensions in the Security Council and which risks depriving member states of a tool created in 2009 to shed light on the policies pursued by North Korea, and to fight against its methods to avoid sanctions.
North Korea has in fact been subject since 2006 to UN sanctions linked to its nuclear program, reinforced several times in 2016 and 2017. But since 2019,
Russia
and China, notably highlighting the humanitarian situation of the North Korean population, are demanding relief from these sanctions, which have no end date.
Despite several postponements of the vote to allow negotiations, Russia vetoed on Thursday the draft resolution extending the mandate of this committee by one year. The text received 13 votes in favor, with China abstaining.
An essential tool
Published at the beginning of last March, the first of the two annual reports of the committee of experts could therefore be the last. However, he highlighted the role of
regime
hackers , the
number of
North Korean workers abroad, violations of maritime sanctions and limits on oil imports, as well as the different methods used by Pyongyang to obtain currencies while circumventing sanctions.
The committee also claims to have begun to investigate “
information
” reporting the export by North Korea of “
conventional weapons and ammunition
” in violation of sanctions,
particularly to Russia
.
A crucial tool in the current geopolitical context according to Nicolas de Rivière, permanent representative of France to the United Nations: “
For months, North Korea has been supplying Russia
with military equipment
in support of its war of aggression in Ukraine, and this in violation of multiple resolutions that Russia itself voted for. A new nuclear test cannot be ruled out. In this context, who can seriously doubt the need for a group of independent experts to document violations of this council's resolutions?
», he asks to the microphone of our correspondent in Seoul,
Nicolas Rocca
.
Russian veto widely denounced
To justify his veto, the Russian ambassador assured that the committee had served Western interests and blocked the council's ability to review the relevance of sanctions over time. An argument rejected by the French ambassador: “
Let no one tell us that it was necessary to modify or sacrifice the mandate of the group of experts to allow a general discussion on the revision of the sanctions. The draft resolution presented today even proposed that such a review take place by April 2025
,” he reports.
This Russian coup was immediately denounced by the United States and its allies, who criticize mutual protection between the two countries. “
What Russia did today cynically undermines peace and security in the world, all to promote a flawed barter that Moscow sealed
” with Pyongyang, reacted Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the Department of Defense. American state. For its part, Seoul described
Russia's veto as an “
irresponsible decision ”, via a press release from the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“
This veto is not a sign of concern for the North Korean population or for the effectiveness of the sanctions. This is about Russia gaining freedom to
violate sanctions in search of weapons
to use against Ukraine
,” noted British Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward. The committee must continue working until April 30 before its mandate ends. Its disappearance does not call into question the continuity of sanctions against North Korea.
Read alsoNorth Korea: for the Japanese Prime Minister, it is “important” to have discussions with Pyongyang
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