North Korea renounces peace treaty [Archive] - Debate Policy

chloe

05-28-2009, 07:02 PM

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton responded by saying North Korea faces consequences for its nuclear and missile tests and denouncing its "provocative and belligerent" threats. She also highlighted the firmness of the U.S. treaty commitment to defend South Korea and Japan, which are in easy range of North Korean missiles.

Key world powers have proposed a range of expanded U.N. sanctions against North Korea in response to its recent nuclear test and measures to give teeth to existing bans and ship searches against the reclusive country, a U.N. diplomat said Wednesday.

The five permanent veto-wielding council members — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — and the two countries most closely affected by the nuclear test, Japan and South Korea, discussed possible U.N. sanctions and other measures for a new Security Council resolution on Tuesday. The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was a clear commitment to go for sanctions and no reluctance from North Korea's allies, China and Russia. But it remains to be seen what measures the 15-member council ultimately agrees to.

South Korea, still divided from the North by a heavily fortified border, had responded to the nuclear test by joining the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a U.S.-led movement to stop ships from transporting banned nuclear goods.

North Korea lashed out at the United States and South Korea, calling the South's move to join the PSI tantamount to a declaration of war and a violation of the truce keeping the peace between the two Koreas.

"Full participation in the PSI by a side on the Korean peninsula where the state of military confrontation is growing acute and there is constant danger of military conflict itself means igniting a war," North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in a statement carried on state media.

The North Korean government warned that it would "deal a decisive and merciless retaliatory blow" to anyone trying to inspect its vessels.North Korea's army said it no longer could promise the safety of U.S. and South Korean warships and civilian vessels in the waters near the maritime border.

Clinton said North Korea has made a choice to violate U.N. Security Council resolutions, ignore international warnings and abrogate commitments made during six-nation nuclear-disarmament talks.

"There are consequences to such actions," she said, referring to discussions in the United Nations about punishing North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests. She did not provide specifics.

At the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs played down North Korea's rhetoric, saying the threats will only add to its isolation.

The Korean War truce and subsequent military agreements call for both sides to refrain from warfare but don't cover waters off the west coast.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2009270369_nkor28.html

sounds like a declaration to me