Joint statement of Robert Wood, Alternate Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, on behalf of the United States, Albania, Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, and United Kingdom on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s latest Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch.
US Ambassador Robert Wood together with other Representatives, spoke to reporters.
He said, “Together on behalf of Albania, Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, we condemn in the strongest terms the DPRK is December 17 ICBM launch and those before it.”
He stated, “we cannot become inured to this behavior. We cannot turn a blind eye to the DPRK’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons, or for that matter, its malicious cyber activity in flagrant human rights violations and abuses, including those involving abductions.”
Ambassador Wood also said, “Counsil’s silence sends the wrong message to Pyongyang and all proliferators.”
He reiterated, “while we urge the DPRK to abandon its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs, and instead invest in feeding the people in North Korea, we also urge the Security Council, every member of the Security Council, to exercise its responsibility and overcome its prolonged silence without exception to uphold the global non-proliferation regime.”
The US Ambassador also urged Council Members to “follow through on their commitments and call on all UN Member States to fully and effectively implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions.”
