UN shows its might with resolution on North Korea: Berlin, Tokyo, London and Seoul hail global body

Tokyo/Berlin/London/Seoul: Japan, Germany and Britain governments hailed early on Thursday the adoption of a new UN resolution on North Korea over its recent nuclear bomb test and rocket launch. Meanwhile, South Korea also hailed the adoption of the resolution, calling it the toughest and most effective in UN history. Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showed his support to the resolution immediately after the adoption and he strongly urged North Korea not to conduct further nuclear tests and rocket launches, Xinhua reported. The prime minister also called for close international coordination so as to resolve the nuke and rocket issues, as well as the abduction issue lingering between Japan and North Korea. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida also welcomed the UN resolution, saying the adoption expressed the international community’s resolute attitude toward the issues. [caption id=“attachment_2653870” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of North Korea’s nuclear test. AP[/caption] The German government also welcomed the resolution. “The new sanctions are a necessary and logical response as well as an important signal to those in power in Pyongyang following the unacceptable provocations, the conduction of a nuclear test and the launch of a rocket using ballistic technology,” a spokesman of the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement. With a unanimous decision, noted the spokesman, the international community demonstrates that it does not accept “the blatant violation of numerous Security Council resolutions and the threat to regional security and world peace.” Britain wasn’t far behind, voicing its support for the UN resolution on Pyongyang. “The fact that this Resolution was passed unanimously demonstrates that the international community is prepared to take tough measures in response to such violations,” Philip Hammond, British foreign secretary, said in a statement. Pyongyang “must put a stop to these provocations and take tangible steps to re-engage constructively with the international community, " he said, adding “If it is willing to change its approach and take concrete steps towards re-engagement, it will find that the international community will respond positively.” Closer to ‘home’, Seoul’s foreign ministry said in a government statement that it was a resolution including tougher-than-ever sanctions against Pyongyang, expressing a perfect welcome and support toward it, Xinhua reported. Calling the North Korea’s nuclear test and rocket launch as “intolerable”, the statement said the new UN resolution was an expression of the international community’s firm will to change the DPRK’s “wrong calculations” by making Pyongyang pay a harsh price for its reckless provocations that came in defiance of previous UN resolutions and the international society. South Korea vowed to make all necessary efforts, including cooperation with all UN member states, to make the resolution enforced without any setbacks, saying the country will strengthen international cooperation further to encourage Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear programme “completely, verifiably and irreversibly.” Seoul urged Pyongyang to come to a road to denuclearisation as early as possible by accepting calls from the international society as seen in the fresh resolution, warning that Pyongyang would face more severe consequences if it conducts more extreme provocations. Seoul said new sanctions against Pyongyang would eliminate loopholes in previous resolutions to focus on cutting off resources to finance North Korea’s nuclear programmes. The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a new sanctions resolution against the DPRK with stricter measures in response to the country’s fourth nuclear test in January and a rocket launch last month. IANS