Winston Peters
Wellington, December 23, 2017
New Zealand welcomes the latest United Nations Security Council resolution against North Korea.
The new UN Security Council resolution was unanimously agreed to this morning (November 23, 2017) and is in response to North Korea’s November 29, 2017 test of an inter-continental ballistic missile.
New Zealand strongly condemned the missile test last month.
The resolution adopted today is the fourth resolution adopted by the Security Council on North Korea this year.
Strong Message
With it, the international community has again delivered a strong message to the North Korean regime that its continued belligerent behaviour will not be meekly accepted.
The resolution imposes further restrictions on North Korea’s access to oil and refined petroleum, exports of North Korean products, and measures on North Korean labour overseas and maritime activity.
New Zealand is supportive of measures which demonstrate the collective opposition of the international community to North Korea’s actions.
Effective Sanctions
Sanctions are an effective way of seeking to convince North Korea that its pursuit of nuclear weapons is both wrong-headed and counter-productive to its security and prosperity.
Every effort must be made to achieve a diplomatic solution to this stand-off.
We urge North Korea to abide by its international obligations and take steps than towards meaningful international dialogue.
Winston Peters is Foreign Minister of New Zealand
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