 | | North Korea fires a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Pyongyang International Airport in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, Nov. 18. Yonhap |
The United States has "strong support" within the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for a push to adopt a formal document condemning North Korea's recent missile provocations, according to the U.S. mission to the U.N. on Monday.
The U.S. has reportedly produced a draft of a related presidential statement and circulated among the other members of the UNSC. It features a strong condemnation of North Korea for its saber-rattling, including the launch last month of a Hwasong-17 ICBM that is assessed to be capable of carrying multiple warheads and reaching the entire U.S. mainland.
A presidential statement of the 15-nation UNSC is one step below a resolution, requiring a consensus of all members. The U.S. bid for the document is an alternative to the adoption of another resolution against Pyongyang, which is opposed by China and Russia, the council's permanent members with veto power.
"We are still discussing with Council members. We have strong support from a majority of the Council to condemn the DPRK's unlawful and destabilizing launches," a spokesperson of the U.S. Mission of the U.N. told Yonhap News Agency on background via email, using the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
The spokesperson added that the U.S. will "require consensus from all members."
North Korea has fired 63 ballistic missiles this year alone, far outnumbering its previous annual record of 25. Pyongyang is also widely believed to be preparing to conduct what would be its seventh nuclear test. (Yonhap)
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