Group of 50 countries push for new UN sanctions monitoring mechanism against North

A group of 50 countries, including South Korea, the United States and Japan, stressed in a joint statement Wednesday the need for an "objective" mechanism for monitoring sanctions enforcement on North Korea after the UN oversight panel disbanded.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, center, delivers a joint statement signed by 50 countries on the expiration of a panel of experts monitoring the enforcement of North Korean sanctions at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday. She is flanked by diplomats of supporting countries including South Korean Ambassador to the UN Hwang Joon-kook, second from left. [YONHAP]

A group of 50 countries — including South Korea, the United States and Japan — underscored in a joint statement Wednesday the need for an "objective, independent" mechanism for monitoring enforcement of sanctions on North Korea following the disbanding of a UN oversight panel.

On Tuesday, the mandate of the UN panel of experts monitoring sanctions against North Korea's illicit weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs expired after Russia rejected a UN Security Council resolution in late March which would have renewed it for another year.

In a statement delivered by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the 50 signatories noted that Russia's "use of the veto in this instance has deprived UN member states of vital information and guidance to implement the measures adopted" by the Security Council and "undermined" its efforts to enforce sanctions.

"Given the imperative for all member states to comply with relevant Security Council resolutions, and considering the expiration of the panel, we must now consider how to continue access to this kind of objective, independent analysis in order to address the DPRK's unlawful WMD and ballistic missile advancements," Thomas-Greenfield said in a press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York flanked by ambassadors of other supporting member states including South Korean Ambassador to the UN Hwang Joon-kook.

She referred to the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The statement stressed that the threats posed by Pyongyang's weapons programs "jeopardize international peace and security and put the global nonproliferation regime at risk."

The panel of experts was launched in 2009 and has been charged with monitoring Pyongyang's sanctions evasions that contribute to the development of its nuclear and missile weapons programs. The eight-member panel has assisted the so-called 1718 sanctions committee through its analysis of data on sanctions noncompliance shared by UN member states, identification of individuals and entities to be designated for violations and recommendations to enable more effective implementation measures. It also shared its findings through annual reports.

China, one of the five veto-wielding members of the Security Council, abstained from voting on March 28 to extend the panel's mandate.

"As of today, the 1718 Committee Panel of Experts has officially disbanded," Thomas-Greenfield said on Wednesday. "For the past 15 years, the panel has provided objective, comprehensive reporting and analysis of UN sanctions implementation on the DPRK."

The joint statement reiterated the "consistent demand that the DPRK comply with its obligations under multiple Security Council resolutions; abandon its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner; and engage constructively in diplomacy."

When asked about a possible alternative to the disbanded panel, Thomas-Greenfield said that countries are considering various possibilities, and that the U.S. is working very closely with South Korea and Japan to propose ideas for the other member states to consider.

When asked if the 50 countries can set up their own monitoring mechanism, Thomas-Greenfield replied, "We're looking at a number of possibilities, and working very, very closely with Japan and Korea to propose ideas for the rest of member states to consider."

Regarding the timeline, she added that it "certainly is something we are working very urgently on doing with all of our colleagues here."

It is likely that the new alternative mechanism will be led by South Korea, the United States and Japan, and supported by countries with similar positions such as Australia, New Zealand and European nations.

Thomas-Greenfield visited Seoul and Tokyo last month to discuss with officials from both countries ways to enhance cooperation on responding to Pyongyang.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]