SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 鈥 The United States and its allies are discussing options 鈥渂oth inside and outside the U.N. system鈥 to create a new mechanism for monitoring North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, the American ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday.
in a move that effectively abolished monitoring by U.N. experts of Security Council sanctions against North Korea, which prompted Western accusations that
鈥淚 look forward to engaging with both the Republic of Korea and Japan, but like-minded (countries) as well, on trying to develop options both inside the U.N. as well as outside the U.N. The point here is that we cannot allow the work that the panel of experts were doing to lapse,鈥 U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a news conference in Seoul, using the formal name for South Korea.
Thomas-Greenfield didn鈥檛 provide specific details about U.S. discussions with allies and other partners, including whether an alternative monitoring regime would more likely be established through the U.N. General Assembly or with an independent entity outside of the U.N.
Thomas-Greenfield met with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Monday and they discussed unspecified 鈥渘ext steps to ensure a continuation of independent and accurate reporting鈥 of North Korea鈥檚 illicit weapons development activities, according to her office.
Thomas-Greenfield said it was clear that Russia and China, which abstained from voting on the U.N. resolution vetoed by Moscow, will continue to try to block international efforts to maintain monitoring of U.N. sanctions against North Korea. She criticized Russia for violating those sanctions with its alleged arms purchases from North Korea, and China for protecting the North from being held accountable.
Moscow and Beijing have thwarted U.S.-led efforts to tighten U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its ramped-up ballistic missile testing since 2022, underscoring a divide between permanent Security Council members that deepened over Russia鈥檚 war on Ukraine.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 expect that they will cooperate or agree with any efforts that we make to find another path, but that is not going to stop us from finding that path moving forward,鈥 Thomas-Greenfield said.
Thomas-Greenfield also briefly addressed questions about tensions in the Middle East. When asked about the Palestinian Authority's request to have full U.N. membership, she said a U.N resolution in support of that request would not contribute to finding a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
鈥淧resident Biden has said categorically that we support a two-state solution for addressing the situation in the Middle East, where Palestinians will have a state of their own and Israel is secure in their state, and we are working on the ground to get to that place as quickly as possible,鈥 she said.
鈥淲e do not see that doing a resolution in the Security Council will necessarily get us to a place where we can find a ... two-state solution moving forward," she added.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has accelerated his weapons demonstrations and issued provocative threats of nuclear conflict against rivals.
The United States, South Korea and Japan have responded by expanding their combined military exercises and sharpening their nuclear deterrence strategies built around strategic U.S. assets.
In a telephone conversation on Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to further strengthen three-way cooperation with Washington to counter North Korean threats and other regional challenges amid 鈥渄eepening uncertainties in the international situation,鈥 Yoon鈥檚 office said.
The Security Council imposed sanctions after North Korea鈥檚 first nuclear test explosion in 2006 and tightened them over the years in a total of 10 resolutions seeking 鈥 so far unsuccessfully 鈥 to cut funds and curb its nuclear and missile programs. The last sanctions resolution was adopted by the council in December 2017.
The Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions, and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years until last month.
Russia鈥檚 U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council before last month鈥檚 vote that Western nations are trying to 鈥渟trangle鈥 North Korea and that sanctions are losing their 鈥渞elevance鈥 in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the North.
In its most recent report circulated last month, the between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its weapons development.
