UNSC fails to pass N.Korea resolution due to oppn by China, Russia

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has failed to pass a resolution to impose additional sanctions on North Korea for its recent missile tests due to opposition by China and Russia.

Thirteen members of the 15-member Council voted in favour of the US-proposed resolution on Thursday, reports Yonhap News Agency.

China and Russia, both veto power-wielding permanent members of the Council and close allies of North Korea, voted against the resolution, effectively blocking its passage.

Washington proposed the new sanctions resolution after North Korea staged 16 rounds of missile launches since the start of the year.

Pyongyang fired three ballistic missiles, including an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile, earlier this week, marking its 17th show of force of the year.

In a prebuttal to Thursday’s scheduled UNSC vote, China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said Beijing would oppose any attempt to create confrontation or tension in Northeast Asia.

“We do not think additional sanctions will be helpful in responding to the current situation,” he told reporters in New York earlier in the day.

 

UN Security Council renews mandate of UN mission for Iraq

 

United Nations, May 27: The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for a year, till May 31, 2023.

Resolution 2631, which won the unanimous support of the 15 members of the council, requests the UN secretary-general’s special representative and UNAMI, at the request of the Iraqi government, to prioritise the provision of advice, support, and assistance on advancing inclusive, political dialogue and national and community-level reconciliation, Xinhua news agency reported.

The resolution recognises that the security of UN personnel is essential for UNAMI to carry out its work and calls on the Iraqi government to continue to provide security and logistical support to the UN presence in Iraq.

The resolution expresses the Security Council’s intention to review the mandate and reporting cycle of UNAMI by May 31, 2023, or sooner, if requested by the Iraqi government.

UNAMI is a political mission established by the Security Council in 2003 at the request of the Iraqi government in the wake of the invasion of Iraq by a US-led coalition.