As world leaders converge in New York for the 72nd United Nations General Assembly, the unity of the world is being questioned by the unfolding events in the Korean Peninsula.
The legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti, once asked, “wetin unite inside United Nations?” As China and Russia began naval drills near North Korea on Monday amid continuing tensions over the reclusive state’s nuclear ambitions.
The North Koreans have rebuffed all diplomatic and entreaties of dialogue over it’s nuclear ambitions.
A week ago, the 15-member UN Security Council unanimously adopted its ninth sanctions resolution since 2006 over North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
On Monday, the official China Daily said sanctions should be given time to bite but that the door must be left open to talks.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Sunday the UN Security Council has run out of options on containing North Korea’s nuclear programme and the United States may have to turn the matter over to the Pentagon.
China has urged the United States to refrain from making threats to North Korea. Asked about President Donald Trump’s warning last month that the North Korean threat to the United States will be met with “fire and fury,” Ambassador Haley said, “It was not an empty threat.”
Pyongyang has launched dozens of missiles as it accelerates a weapons programme designed to provide the ability to target the United States with a powerful, nuclear-tipped missile.
North Korea said on Saturday it aimed to reach an “equilibrium” of military force with the United States.
The drills are the second part of China-Russian naval exercises this year, the first part of which took place in the Baltic in July. The joint exercises will take place between Peter the Great Bay, just outside of the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok, not far from the Russia- North Korea border, and into the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, to the north of Japan.
United States and South Korea also had it’s military drills in the region few weeks ago. The flurry of military drills in the Korean peninsula is an indication that perhaps war is imminent after all diplomatic means to rein in North Korea has failed.
