US calls proposed sanctions on NKorea a ‘major upgrade’

The White House said in a statement that the two countries “agreed on the importance of a strong and united worldwide response to North Korea’s provocations, including through a UN Security Council resolution that goes beyond previous resolutions. It’s breaking new ground in a whole host of ways”, Ms Power said before heading into a closed-door council meeting of all 15 council members.

Whether the United States would deploy its advance anti-missile shield in South Korea is not a matter of “bargaining” with China in the run-up to the United Nations’ adoption of fresh sanctions on North Korea, a senior USA diplomat said Friday.

Diplomats say the council is expected to vote on the resolution over the weekend.

“These sanctions if adopted would send an unambiguous and unyielding message to the DPRK regime, ” said Power.

North Korea has been hit with a series of ever-tightening sanctions because of its nuclear tests and rocket launches since 2006.

The draft resolution came after an agreement was reached between the United States and China, which has been reluctant to put crippling economic sanctions against North Korea due to fears over a collapse of the North Korean economy. According to news reports, the document for North Korea calls for a ban on imports of aviation fuel and an export ban on commodities such as gold, titanium, coal and iron ore. FINANCIAL SANCTIONS The draft resolution would require states to freeze the assets of any entity of the North Korean government or the ruling Workers Party of Korea that is associated with the nuclear and missile programs or other prohibited activities.

“There were a significant number of blockage points between the (United States and China) … but there is an agreement between those two countries”, the diplomat said.

“We hope and believe this new resolution can help effectively constrain North Korea from further developing its nuclear missile program”, Hua told a regular press briefing.

Suggesting that China had shown flexibility on sanctions, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that other members of the Security Council understood China’s position that “normal exchanges, especially those affecting the livelihood of the North Korean people, should not be adversely affected” by sanctions.

The establishment of permanent peace on the peninsula, he continued, would be contingent on the North’s denuclearization, a peace treaty, arms control for both Koreas and the normalization of diplomatic relations with the United States and Japan.

Among provisions are a complete ban on weapons transfers to and from North Korea and a mandatory inspection by nations of all cargo coming and going to North Korea.

North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test on January 6 and followed it up with a long-range rocket launch on February 7, which the outside world views as a banned test of ballistic missile technology.

The draft resolution does not censure North Korea for its human rights violations, which have been painstakingly documented by a UN Commission of Inquiry.

Wang told the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies that China and the US agreed to attempt to avoid sanctions that harm the North Korean people.