Intention to contain Russia… Impact of sanctions on North Korea
For the first time on the 26th (local time), a mechanism to check the exercise of veto powers by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (USA, UK, France, China, Russia) was established.
At the UN General Assembly held at the UN headquarters in New York on the same day, a resolution with such content was adopted as a consensus instead of a vote. The resolution, led by Liechtenstein, a small European country, and jointly proposed by 83 countries, including the United States and Britain, requires that the Security Council hold a general meeting within ten days of when the veto is exercised and the representatives of the relevant permanent members appear as the first speaker to explain the reason. Member States may discuss this.
Although this resolution does not fundamentally block the veto power of permanent members, it may have the effect of diplomatic pressure on the exercise of the veto by allowing it to be discussed at the general meeting. The resolution shall take effect immediately.
Liechtenstein’s ambassador to the United Nations, Christian Benavezer, who led the resolution, said: “The purpose of this resolution is to more reflect the voices of countries that do not have a veto on international peace and security issues.” US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, also tweeted on the same day that she had “good news” about the resolution’s passing.
This resolution is a stepping stone to contain Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Criticism has been raised that Russia, which started the war, has made the United Nations helpless by exercising its ‘self-veto’ on resolutions to sanction or condemn it. In particular, President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly criticized the United Nations for “close the door”. For this reason, recently, there has been a growing call at the United Nations for a total reform of the Security Council system. After the invasion of Ukraine, a resolution condemning Russia was passed twice by the UN General Assembly, but unlike the Security Council resolution, it is not legally binding. The Associated Press said, “Efforts to reform the Security Council have continued for 40 years, but have failed every time.”
This resolution is expected to affect future Security Council discussions on North Korea. Whenever China or Russia vetoes Security Council sanctions against North Korea’s nuclear test or missile launch, a general meeting is inevitably called for. Naturally, if the North Korean issue is frequently discussed on the UN stage, China and Russia may feel burdened in exercising their veto power.
New York = Correspondent Yoo Jae-dong jarrett@donga.com
