UN chief welcomes reopening of inter-Korean communication channel
UNITED NATIONS, (MILLAT ONLINE):United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the reopening of a key cross-border communication channel between North Korea and South Korea.
“It is always good to have a dialogue between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea,” the UN chief’s Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters in response to a question during the daily news briefing at UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
He went on to say that the UN remains committed to ensuring the implementation of Security Council resolutions on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. “We hope that enhanced diplomatic initiatives will help achieve this goal,” he added.
According to media reports, North Korea announced Wednesday the reopening of a channel of communication, the day after the offer of dialogue made by the Government of South Korea.
This communication channel, established in August 1972, was cut in February 2016 by Pyongyang after Seoul decided to close the inter-Korean industrial zone of Kaesong, in the wake of a nuclear test by the North Korea.
Meanhwile, the President of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, Miroslav Lajcak, met Wednesday with Ja Song Nam, North Korea’s permanent representative to the United Nations.
According to a note issued by the Assembly President’s Office, Lajcak said he was pleased with the readiness of North Korea to constructively engage in a dialogue with South Korea, including a possible participation of a delegation from North Korea in the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, as well as with the reopening of the communication channels.
The United States, backed by Japan, is pushing for sanctions and total isolation of North Korea in response to a series of missile launches and nuclear tests.
Russia, and North Korea’s sole major ally China, have repeatedly called for talks to de-escalate tensions, but the United States has been adamant that Pyongyang must first freeze its military programmes.
US Ambassador to UN Nikki Haley warned on Tuesday that if Pyongyang carries out another missile test, it would face the likelihood of even more sanctions.
The Security Council adopted a new raft of sanctions on Dec 22 to restrict oil supplies to North Korea – the third set of measures imposed on Pyongyang in a year.