Tillerson urges lull in North Korea 'threatening behavior' before any talks

Tillerson urges lull in North Korea 'threatening behavior' before any talks

STEPHANIE KEITH

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday said a "sustained cessation of North Korea's threatening behavior" was needed before the United States could talk with Pyongyang about its development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

"North Korea must earn its way back to the table. The pressure campaign must and will continue until denuclearization is achieved," Tillerson told a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. He did not specify how long the lull should last.

Tillerson had raised hopes this week that the United States and North Korea could negotiate to resolve their standoff when he said that the United States was “ready to talk any time North Korea would like to talk."

But the White House distanced itself from Tillerson's remarks and said that now is not the time for negotiations.

North Korea has made clear it has little interest in negotiations with the United States until it has developed the ability to hit the U.S. mainland with a nuclear-tipped missile, something most experts say it has still not proved.

North Korea conducted missile tests at a steady pace since April, then paused in September after firing a rocket that passed over Japan's Hokkaido island.

But it renewed tests in November when it fired a new type of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), the Hwasong-15, which flew higher and further than previous tests.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono told the Security Council that any lull in missile tests did not mean that North Korea was sitting idly.

“The latest launch was conducted 75 days after North Korea’s provocations in September. Some optimistic views labeled 75 days of silence as a positive signal. However, the missile launch in November made it clear that North Korea was continuing to relentlessly develop its nuclear and missile programs even while they were seemingly silent," Kono said.

Tillerson also urged China and Russia on Friday to increase pressure on North Korea by going beyond the implementation of U.N. sanctions. The Security Council has ratcheted up sanctions on North Korea over its weapons programs since 2006.

China urged an "immediate end to rhetoric and actions that are unfavorable to denuclearization" on the Korean peninsula.

“It is necessary to put an immediate end to rhetoric and actions that are unfavorable to denuclearization as well as peace and security of the Korean peninsula,” said Wu Haitao, China's deputy U.N. ambassador.

Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia warned of the danger of war over North Korea.

"One ill-thought-out or misinterpreted step could lead to lamentable consequences," he said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Friday it was time to immediately re-establish and strengthen communication channels with North Korea, including inter-Korean and military-to-military channels, to reduce the risk of a misunderstanding escalating into conflict.

(Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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