Hillary Clinton talked about increasing its military posture towards North Korea today, in response to the sinking of the Cheonan, a South Korean ship. The announcement came in support of South Korea’s President Lee Myung-Bak, who made a statement in favor of cutting off all assistance to Pyongyang.
South Korea also said it was preparing to report Pyongyang to the United Nations Security Council, potentially for a new round of sanctions. On Monday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the evidence against North Korea "overwhelming and deeply troubling," telling a news conference that he expected the Security Council would take "measures appropriate to the gravity of the situation."
Mrs. Clinton did not say exactly what a new posture would look like militarily, but it could mean U.S. ships in South Korean waters enforcing a ban on North Korean ships moving through South Korean waters. The U.S.'s top diplomat also said the State Department is continuing to review whether to relist North Korea on its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The Bush administration removed Pyongyang in 2008, easing some economic sanctions, in a bid to underpin disarmament talks.
However, the evidence of a North Korean torpedo has done little to sway China into denouncing Kim Jong Il. President Hu Jintao did not mention the incident in his talks this morning for the U.S. economic rally.
The Obama administration views Beijing as central to any moves to punish North Korea for the Cheonan incident. China is North Korea's principal military ally and economic partner. But with South Korea cutting trade ties, it will mean that North Korean ships will be denied a shortcut to China, taxing ships an additional 20 hours in transit.
South Korea also said it was preparing to report Pyongyang to the United Nations Security Council, potentially for a new round of sanctions. On Monday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the evidence against North Korea "overwhelming and deeply troubling," telling a news conference that he expected the Security Council would take "measures appropriate to the gravity of the situation."
Mrs. Clinton did not say exactly what a new posture would look like militarily, but it could mean U.S. ships in South Korean waters enforcing a ban on North Korean ships moving through South Korean waters. The U.S.'s top diplomat also said the State Department is continuing to review whether to relist North Korea on its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The Bush administration removed Pyongyang in 2008, easing some economic sanctions, in a bid to underpin disarmament talks.
However, the evidence of a North Korean torpedo has done little to sway China into denouncing Kim Jong Il. President Hu Jintao did not mention the incident in his talks this morning for the U.S. economic rally.
The Obama administration views Beijing as central to any moves to punish North Korea for the Cheonan incident. China is North Korea's principal military ally and economic partner. But with South Korea cutting trade ties, it will mean that North Korean ships will be denied a shortcut to China, taxing ships an additional 20 hours in transit.
No comments:
Post a Comment