The United States could shortly broaden talks on a push for stronger U. N. sanctions on North Korea to include all 15 Security Council members.
The United States could shortly broaden talks on a push for stronger U. N. sanctions on North Korea to include all 15 Security Council members, signaling a likely deal with China on new measures, diplomats said on Thursday.
Since North Korea’s July 4 launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) , the United States has been negotiating with Pyongyang ally China on a draft resolution to impose new sanctions on North Korea, which fired a second ICBM last Friday, in defiance of U. N. Security Council resolutions.
«We have been working very hard for some time and we certainly hope that this is going to be a consensus resolution, » China’s U. N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi told Reuters on Thursday.
Some diplomats said the United States could give the draft resolution to all 15 council members as early as Thursday.
Typically, the United States and China have agreed sanctions on North Korea before formally involving other council members. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, China, Russia, France or Britain to be adopted.
The United States has been informally keeping Britain and France in the loop on the negotiations, while U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said China had been sharing the draft and negotiating with Russia.
U. S. President Donald Trump’s administration has been frustrated that China has not done more to rein in North Korea and Washington has threatened to impose new sanctions on Chinese firms doing business with Pyongyang.
