European Union to hold 'extraordinary meet' to discuss escalating tensions with North Korea

Brussels: The European Union (EU) will convene an “extraordinary meeting” next week over the escalating tension with North Korea, the 27-nation bloc’s diplomatic service announce. [caption id=“attachment_3736917” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] North Korea announced a detailed plan on Wednesday to launch a salvo of ballistic missiles toward the Guam, a US Pacific territory. This has come after the two countries exchanged a fresh salvo of verbal attacks which saw President Donald Trump vowing to give a befitting reply to the isolated kingdom with ‘fire and fury’. This scenario does not come as a surprise to the world community as both the countries have long been engaged in a war of words. However, this time the threat has reached a “new stage”, warned the Japanese defense ministry. EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini will chair the meeting of the Political and Security Committee (PSC), in a bid to thrash out the bloc’s possible next steps on the situation in North Korea, the European External Action Service said in a statement on Friday. Mogherini, after meeting her international counterparts in the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila, Philippines, has decided to call the meeting, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying. Mogherini’s decision came one day after the Council of the EU broadened a sanction list targeting North Korea in response to its latest test-launch of ballistic missiles. The list now includes 62 individual and 50 entities subject to an asset freeze and travel restrictions in the EU.