S/PV.5490 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in response to the request contained in a letter dated 4 July 2006 from the Permanent Representative of Japan addressed to the President of the Security Council, document S/2006/481. Members of the Council have before them document S/2006/488, which contains the text of a draft resolution prepared in the course of the Council’s prior consultations. I wish to draw the attention of the members to document S/2006/482, containing a letter from the Permanent Representative of the United States, and document S/2006/493, containing a letter from the Permanent Representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. Unless I hear any objection, I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now. There being no objection, it is so decided.

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 1695 (2006). On behalf of the members of the Security Council, I warmly welcome Mr. Shintaro Ito, Vice- Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan. I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.

The Council has just taken a very significant decision on the question of peace and security on the Korean peninsula and North-East Asia. Japan welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 1695 (2006). With the adoption of the resolution, the Council has acted swiftly and robustly in response to the reckless and condemnable act of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in launching a barrage of ballistic missiles on 5 July, local time. Through the resolution, the Council has, in unity, sent, on behalf of the international community, a strong and unmistakable message to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and agreed on a set of binding measures that both the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Member States are obliged to comply with in order to deal appropriately with the situation created by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The launching of missiles and other related activities conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have been a matter of very serious concern for the peace and security of Japan. Those missile launches in and of themselves pose a direct threat to the security of Japan and other countries, but the nature of the threat is far more serious, particularly in the light of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s claim that it has developed nuclear weapons. The well-known behaviour of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a leading proliferator of ballistic missiles and related technology, among other unacceptable behaviours, should not escape our attention. To initiate an appropriate and swift Council response to the event, Japan and other concerned members of the Council prepared a strong draft resolution the next day after a series of consultations. The original draft resolution was presented on 7 July and sponsored by eight members — Denmark, France, Greece, Japan, Peru, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Subsequently, China and Russia presented the text of a presidential statement and later submitted a draft resolution. We welcomed the move on the part of China and Russia, both neighbouring countries of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and important members of the six-party talks. However, their draft was considered to be weak in the message and measures it proposed and insufficient to deal adequately with the issue of peace, security and stability at hand — indeed, with the threat posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s defiant and unacceptable act. After the series of intensive consultations that ensued to breach the differences between the two texts, members have been able to reach agreement on a text that is strong in its message and binding on Member States under the United Nations Charter on measures related to the maintenance of international peace and security. It is important that, in today’s resolution, the members of the Council have acted in unity. The resolution clearly states that the Council is acting under its special responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and demands that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programme and re-establish its pre-existing commitments to a moratorium on missile launching. The resolution also strongly urges that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea return immediately to the six-party talks without precondition. Japan strongly urges the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to comply with the Council’s demand and to sincerely respond to all the other provisions addressed to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Japan also urges the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to cease all its work on nuclearrelated activities, with the aim of the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of all its nuclear programmes. We believe that it is essential, as the resolution just adopted requires, that Member States that have not yet done so exercise vigilance and prevent missile and missile-related items, materials, goods and technology being transferred to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s missile or weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programmes. It requires Member States to exercise vigilance and prevent the procurement of missile-related materials and technology from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the transfer of any financial resources in relation to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s missile or WMD programmes. I would like to state my Government’s intention to implement, in accordance with this resolution, those measures that are necessary to achieve the objectives set out in the resolution, in accordance with domestic laws and procedures. My Government has already taken a number of measures against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on a unilateral basis that include the continuation of the strict implementation of exportcontrol measures on missiles and WMD-related goods and services against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Japan also expects that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will respond quickly to the calls from the Council to return to the six-party talks and work towards the expeditious implementation of the 19 September joint statement and return also to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. This is an important milestone in the world’s community’s fight against the proliferation of missiles and WMD. Today marks an important step forward in the promotion of peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in North-East Asia. All the countries in the region must work together in keeping with the spirit and the letter of this important resolution. Finally, I wish to thank you, Mr. President, for having guided us through these difficult deliberations, and I thank all members of the Council, in particular the eight sponsors of our draft, for their cooperation and unstinting support in the process of bringing days of hard work to fruition.

Eleven days have passed since the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea brazenly defied the international community and fired seven ballistic missiles, including a Taepo Dong 2 intercontinental ballistic missile, into the waters surrounding its neighbours, notably Japan. Despite intense diplomatic efforts by a number of countries prior to those launches, North Korea chose to recklessly disregard the collective will of its neighbours and, indeed, that of the world. In so doing, it violated several international commitments it had entered into, most recently the joint statement of the six-party talks from September 2005. Since the words of the North Korean leadership and the agreements it signs have consistently over time been shown to hold little value, it is only appropriate for the international community and the Security Council to evaluate North Korea based on its actions — actions which have been deeply disturbing. It would be dangerous for the Council to look at these missile launches in isolation from North Korea’s unrelenting pursuit of a nuclear-weapons capability. When North Korea launched a missile over Japan in 1998, we were not aware at that time that Pyongyang was pursuing a covert uranium-enrichment programme, in violation of the 1994 agreed framework. In the intervening eight years, North Korea has withdrawn from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), kicked out inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and declared not just that it is pursuing a nuclear-weapons capability but that it already possesses them. We are pleased that the Council has taken clear, firm and unanimous action in adopting this resolution. The launching of seven ballistic missiles by North Korea constitutes a direct threat to international peace and security and demanded a strong statement from the Council in the form of a strong resolution. The past 11 days have witnessed intense diplomatic activity here in New York, in a number of capitals around the world, and notably in Pyongyang itself, where a high-level delegation from the People’s Republic of China made one last attempt to make the North Korean leadership see reason. It was appropriate for us to show this flexibility on timing and allow diplomatic efforts a chance to succeed. Those efforts are now exhausted, however, and the continued intransigence and defiance of the North Korean leadership demanded a strong response from the Council. The resolution we have just adopted does just that. It also sends a much stronger signal than the weak and feckless response of the Council in 1998, which issued only a press statement. In condemning the multiple launches of these ballistic missiles, the Council is affirming in this resolution that these launches threaten international peace and security. It is not just launching of these missiles that poses a threat but the propensity of North Korea to proliferate this technology. North Korea is the world’s leading proliferator of ballistic missile technology, so it was entirely appropriate for the Council to reaffirm its resolution 1540 (2004), whose first preambular paragraph states that the “proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, as well as their means of delivery, constitutes a threat to international peace and security”. This resolution also demands action. It sends an unequivocal, unambiguous and unanimous message to Pyongyang: Suspend your ballistic missile programme. Stop your procurement of materials related to weapons of mass destruction, and implement your September 2005 commitment to verifiably dismantle your nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programme. It is not just Pyongyang, though, that must act. The resolution also requires Member States to do what they can to prevent the transfer of resources to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s missile programme and cease procurement of missile-related items and items relating to WMD programmes from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The United States expects that North Korea and all other States Members of the United Nations will immediately act in accordance with the requirements of this resolution. This is the first Security Council resolution on North Korea since 1993, reflecting the gravity of this situation and the unity and determination of the Council. We hope that this resolution will demonstrate to North Korea that the best way to improve the livelihood of its people and end its international isolation is to stop playing games of brinkmanship and restore its missile moratorium, return to the six-party talks and implement the terms of the joint statement from the last round of those talks. We look forward to North Korea’s full, unconditional and immediate compliance with this Security Council resolution. We hope that North Korea makes the strategic decision that the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction programmes and threatening acts like these missile launches makes it less, not more, secure. We need to be prepared, however, that North Korea might choose a different path. That is why it is important that, if the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea does not comply with the requirements of the resolution, the United States and other Member States have the opportunity at any point to return to the Council for further action. In closing, I would like to thank all members of the Council for their efforts in helping us to secure a strong and unanimous resolution. In particular, I would like to thank my friend and colleague, Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, for his work in leading the effort to bring the resolution to finality.

The Chinese delegation welcomes the draft resolution on the launching of missiles by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, unanimously adopted by the Security Council earlier. On 5 July 2006 local time, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea launched a number of missiles without adequate advance notification, which caused extensive concern in the international community. Many countries have expressed their grave concern at that negative development. They are afraid that it will have a negative impact on peace and stability in North-East Asia, especially on the Korean peninsula. As a close neighbour of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, China is gravely concerned about the newly emerged complicating factors on the Korean peninsula. China has always been committed to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and has insisted on resolving the relevant issues through peaceful dialogue and negotiations. We oppose any acts leading to tension on the Korean peninsula. We hope that all the parties concerned will keep in mind the overall interests and make a greater contribution to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. The Chinese side is ready to make joint efforts with all the parties concerned to overcome difficulties, create the right conditions, promote the six-party talks and jointly maintain peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in North-East Asia. Ever since discussions started in the Security Council on the launching of missiles by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, China has acted in a persistent manner to achieve two major objectives, namely, to maintain peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and to keep the Security Council united. We have consistently advocated that the Council respond in an appropriate manner as soon as possible, send a unified message to the international community, reactivate a new round of diplomatic efforts and bring about the early resumption of the six-party talks. China has adopted a responsible attitude and is firmly opposed to forcing through a vote on a draft resolution that is not conducive to unity and that would further complicate and aggravate the situation, cause grave consequences for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and create enormous obstacles for the six-party talks and other important diplomatic endeavours. At the same time, China and Russia put forward elements for a draft presidential statement and, subsequently, for a draft resolution. We made constructive and vigorous efforts to seek consensus on this issue among Security Council members. Under the current circumstances, China urges all the parties concerned to exercise restraint. We are opposed to any acts leading to further tension on the Korean peninsula. We hope that the resolution that has just been adopted will help all the parties concerned to act in a calm manner and to continue diplomatic endeavours aimed at the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and the normalization of relations between the countries concerned. Maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula is in the common interests of the international community and the North- East Asian countries and is the fundamental starting point for China in handling Korean peninsula affairs. China will continue to make steadfast efforts to that end. Sir Emyr Jones Parry (United Kingdom): The United Kingdom has made clear its grave concern about the missile launches by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on 5 July. Many other countries have done the same. Those missile tests were carried out despite the urgings of the international community. The choice to conduct those launches took place against a particular backdrop: a stated intention to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, a statement of possession of nuclear weapons and a commitment to a moratorium on missile testing that was reaffirmed as recently as September 2005. Since the launches, the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has maintained that they were part of a military policy that the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea intends to continue to pursue. Against that backdrop, those launches were, as has been widely said, provocative, and have served only to raise tensions in the region. In our view, it is important that the Council react robustly and coherently. The United Kingdom is therefore delighted that the Council has unanimously agreed the resolution, and the united signal sent by the Council in this strong resolution is powerful and welcome. The requirements of the resolution are clear, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and all States concerned must now comply with these obligations.

From the very outset, the Russian Federation has stressed the importance of a speedy agreement by the Security Council in its response to the missile launches by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Moscow expressed serious concern about those actions by Pyongyang, taken without advance notice and in contravention of the Pyongyang moratorium established earlier. We have consistently believed that the reaction of the Security Council must be firm, but at the same time carefully calibrated and weighed. We have always seen the main objective as being not to heighten emotions or threaten isolation and restrictive measures against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, but, rather, to try as soon as possible to return the country to the regime of a moratorium on ballistic missile testing and to ensure that it resumes its participation in the sixparty talks aimed at a peaceful diplomatic settlement of the nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula. Guided by those principled considerations, Russia participated actively in the harmonization of a response. We believe that an official statement by the President of the Security Council would have been the optimal format. Nevertheless, we and our Chinese partners met several other Security Council members halfway in their wish for agreement on a resolution and jointly submitted the relevant draft. In this respect, we based ourselves on the fact that the draft resolution distributed earlier by the delegations of Japan, the United States and other sponsors did not fully meet the requirements. Consultations in the Security Council were protracted and complex. It is significant that all Security Council members showed political will and responsibility. As a result, we managed to reach agreement and prepared the draft resolution, which we have just adopted and which was introduced by the President of the Security Council. It is, of course, a compromise. But we believe that the decision sends an appropriate signal to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on the need to show restraint and to abide by its obligations regarding missiles. At the same time, it should work in favour of continuing the negotiating process in the interests of strengthening security and stability in the region of North-East Asia. The adoption of the resolution by consensus clearly confirms that the Security Council, as the body with the primary responsibility under the Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security, is able to react effectively to complex international and regional challenges on the basis of the unity of its members.

I shall be brief. Argentina would like to express its satisfaction at the Security Council’s adoption of resolution 1695 (2006), which condemns the launching of missiles by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on 5 July. We believe that the message that the Security Council has sent today to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a strong one. Argentina hopes that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will return to the negotiating table and the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and that it will henceforth stop developing its nuclear weapons. In that context, we would like to thank the countries of the region that are primarily affected by the launching of these missiles for their understanding and cooperation in making it possible for the Security Council to adopt the resolution. They were able to act wisely and to give priority to the promotion of international peace and security over certain domestic policy concerns. Finally, on behalf of my delegation, I would also like to thank the Ambassador of the United Kingdom for his intervention to achieve agreement. I also wish to thank you, Mr. President, for your tireless work and talent in the search for a fair solution acceptable to all.

The United Republic of Tanzania voted in favour of the resolution we have just adopted, bearing in mind the gravity of the circumstances arising from the missiles launched by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It is therefore our hope that the message being sent by the resolution will be one that engenders a spirit of dialogue and cooperation in order to allow for an environment of peace and security in the Korean peninsula and in North-East Asia. That course of action is in the interests not only of that region alone, but of the international community at large.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of France. France welcomes the fact that the Security Council has unanimously adopted resolution 1695 (2006). That action by the Security Council is an appropriate response to a serious situation. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s development and testing of ballistic missiles capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction seriously endanger security in North-East Asia and beyond for several reasons. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea asserts that it has developed nuclear weapons, and it has not joined the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction. Those ballistic missiles are able to carry such weapons. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is attempting to increase the range of its missiles. It sells such weapons and is today the main ballistic proliferator in the world, particularly in areas of tension. The combination of those factors makes the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s recent ballistic tests an event that endangers the security of the entire international community. The Security Council has a duty to condemn those tests and to ensure that the international community mobilizes to prevent the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea from developing its missile and weapons of mass destruction programmes. That is the meaning of today’s resolution, which, among other things, requires that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea return to a responsible stance. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea must cease its ballistic activities and reinstate its moratorium on testing. It must return to the six-party talks, implement the commitments it entered into in the joint statement of 19 September 2005 and, in particular, renounce all of its nuclear weapons and its existing nuclear programme with a view to achieving the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The resolution is perfectly clear. It contains provisions to which all parties must adhere. France will seek to implement it through the non-proliferation mechanisms to which it is a party and the European Union. I would recall that the European Union is implementing a rigorous policy of non-proliferation, including in its relations with other States. It expects all States to do likewise. Finally, the unanimous adoption of the resolution constitutes a significant development in the Security Council’s efforts to combat proliferation. France believes that the Council must act in a united and robust manner in that area. The Council has carefully weighed the words of the message it has formulated today. It has taken into account the responsibilities incumbent upon it to combat proliferation, as affirmed in the presidential statement of the 1992 summit and as recalled and extended by resolution 1540 (2004). The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery is a threat to international peace and security. Throughout the negotiations, France has endeavoured to ensure unity in the Security Council, for the Council’s unity considerably increases the effectiveness of its efforts. Today’s unity is an indication of the shared will to act resolutely in the upcoming stages of the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. I now resume my functions as President of the Security Council. I give the floor to the representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

I would like to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of July. It is unjustifiable and gangster-like for the Security Council to debate the missile launch exercise of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, both in view of the competence of the Security Council and under international law. The delegation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea resolutely condemns the attempt by some countries to misuse the Security Council for the despicable political aim of isolating and pressuring the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and totally rejects the resolution adopted earlier at this meeting of the Security Council. The latest successful missile launches were part of a routine military exercise staged by the Korean People’s Army to increase the nation’s military capacity for self-defence. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s exercise of its legitimate right as a sovereign State is bound neither to any international law nor to bilateral or multilateral agreements, such as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea-Japan Pyongyang Declaration and the joint statement of the six-party talks. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is not a signatory to the Missile Technology Control Regime and therefore is not bound to any commitment under it. As for the moratorium on long-range missile test flights, which the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea agreed with the United States in 1999, it was valid only when the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea-United States dialogue was under way. The Bush Administration, however, scrapped all the agreements that the preceding United States Administration had concluded with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and totally scuttled the bilateral dialogue. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had already clarified, in March 2005, that its moratorium on missile test firing had lost its validity. The same can be said of the moratorium on long-range test firing which the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had agreed with Japan in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea-Japan Pyongyang Declaration in 2002. In that Declaration, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea expressed its intention to extend beyond 2003 the moratorium on missile firing, in the spirit of the Declaration. That step was taken on the premise that Japan would move to normalize its relations with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and redeem its past. The Japanese authorities, however, have abused the good faith of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. They have not honoured their commitment; indeed, they have internationalized the abduction issue, pursuant to the United States hostile policy towards the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, although the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had fully settled the issue. Such behaviour has brought overall relations between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Japan to where they were before the publication of the Declaration. It is a manifestation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s broad magnanimity that, in this situation, it had put the missile launch on hold for so long. The joint statement of the six-party talks of 19 September 2005 stipulates the commitments to be fulfilled by the six sides to the talks to denuclearize the Korean peninsula. However, no sooner had the joint statement been adopted than the United States applied financial sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and, through them, escalated pressure on it in various fields. The United States, at the same time, has totally hamstrung efforts to implement the joint statement through such threats and blackmail as large-scale military exercises targeted against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It is clear to everyone that there was no need for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to unilaterally put on hold the missile launch in such a situation. That being a stark fact, it is a far-fetched assertion, grossly falsifying reality, for them to claim that routine missile launches conducted by the Korean People’s Army for self-defence have strained the regional situation and blocked the progress of the dialogue. It is a lesson taught by history, and a stark reality of international relations proven by the Iraqi crisis, that upsetting the balance of forces is bound to create instability and crisis, and even spark a war. But for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s tremendous deterrent in self-defence, the United States would have attacked the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea more than once, as it has listed my country as part of an axis of evil and a target of pre-emptive nuclear attack. Peace in the Korean peninsula and in the region would have been seriously disturbed. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s missile development, test firing, manufacture and deployment therefore serve as a key to keeping the balance of forces and to preserving peace and stability in North- East Asia. It is also preposterous for them to term the latest missile launches a provocation and the like for the simple reason that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea did not send prior notice of them. It would be quite foolish to notify Washington and Tokyo of missile launches in advance, given that the United States, which is technically at war with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, has been threatening for a month to intercept the latter’s missiles, in collusion with Japan. We would like to ask the United States and Japan if they have ever notified the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea of their ceaseless missile launches in the areas close to it. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea remains unchanged in its will to denuclearize the Korean peninsula in a negotiated, peaceful manner, just as it committed itself in the 19 September joint statement of the six-party talks. The latest missile launch exercises are quite irrelevant to the six-party talks. The Korean People’s Army will go on with missile launch exercises as part of its efforts to bolster deterrence for self-defence in the future, too. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will have no option but to take stronger physical actions in other forms should any other country dare to take issue with the exercises and put pressure upon it.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Republic of Korea.

On 5 July, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea fired one Taepodong-2 and six Scud and Nodong missiles from its eastern coast. Since early May, my Government has been closely following the activities of North Korea with regard to its missiles. Pointing out the inevitable consequences to follow, my Government repeatedly warned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea not to conduct any missile launches. Despite our repeated warnings, however, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea proceeded with a series of missile launches. My Government has expressed its profound regret over that unacceptable act. It undermines peace and stability in North-East Asia and adversely affects inter-Korean relations, not to mention deepening Pyongyang’s isolation from the international community. In that regard, my Government appreciates the efforts of the Council members that resulted in the resolution just adopted unanimously. We fully support that resolution. We urge North Korea to refrain from any further provocative actions, to return to the sixparty talks and to comply with international efforts for non-proliferation.

The representative of the United States has asked for the floor to make a further statement. I give him the floor.

This has been a historic day. Not only have we unanimously adopted resolution 1695 (2006) but North Korea has set a world record in rejecting it within 45 minutes of its adoption. I could also say in the light of some of the comments made by the representative of North Korea before he left the Chamber, that I could exercise the right of reply on behalf of the United States; but on the other hand, why bother?

There are no further speakers inscribed on my list. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.