Fifty U.N. members, including the United States, Japan, and South Korea, are considering alternatives to ensure continued “objective and independent” monitoring of sanctions on North Korea after the recent dissolution of a panel investigating suspected violations, they said in a statement.
The joint statement, delivered by U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Wednesday, emphasized the need for impartial analysis to address North Korea’s unlawful development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.
The U.N. panel of experts, tasked with investigating violations of sanctions related to North Korea’s prohibited nuclear and ballistic missile programs, was officially dissolved on Tuesday. This followed the U.N. Security Council’s failure to renew the panel’s mandate on March 28 due to a veto by permanent council member Russia.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield stressed that the sanctions on North Korea remain in effect, reiterating the Security Council’s consistent demand for the North to comply with its obligations under multiple Security Council resolutions.
When asked about possible alternatives to the disbanded panel, Thomas-Greenfield said countries are considering various possibilities. She added that the U.S. is working closely with South Korea and Japan to propose ideas for the rest of the member states to consider.
The panel, which consists of eight experts drawn from the permanent members of the Security Council, is tasked with assisting the North Korea Sanctions Committee to investigate alleged violations of sanctions by North Korea, and has issued in-depth reports twice a year on the sanctions violations.
The Security Council has extended the panel’s mandate for one year each March by passing a resolution. Its mandate expired at the end of April.
Russia’s use of its veto follows accusations from the U.S., South Korea and others that North Korea is supplying Russia with weapons to use in its war in Ukraine – an accusation that both countries have denied.
But the panel, in a report released in March, gave details, with photographs, of Russia’s arms dealings with North Korea in violation of sanctions. The panel said it was investigating reports of the arms transfers.
Edited by Mike Firn.