The UN Security Council will meet urgently behind closed doors and informally Monday, March 7 in the middle of the day on North Korea, at the request in particular of Washington, after a supposed test of a North Korean missile, according to diplomats.
Read alsoNorth Korea says it has carried out a new satellite development test
The United States and European members of the Security Council - United Kingdom, France, Albania, Ireland and Norway - are behind the convening of this session, these diplomats told AFP.
During this new meeting, in addition to an exchange of information, the West should again put pressure on China, close support of Pyongyang, to obtain a joint declaration on the North Korean tests.
"
We just need a very small statement
" on these tests "
in order to show North Korea the unity of the Council
" towards it, said a diplomat on condition of anonymity.
Since 2017 and the UN taking three rounds of international economic sanctions against Pyongyang, Beijing has refused to join in any joint gesture by the Security Council.
China, supported by Russia, has even drawn up a draft resolution to attenuate these sanctions with a humanitarian objective, which has remained a dead letter until now, for lack of support from a majority of Beijing's partners.
On Sunday, North Korea announced that it had carried out “
an important new test
” for the development of a reconnaissance satellite, but analysts believe that it is rather a missile launch, a few days before presidential election in South Korea.
Read alsoNorth Korea says it has carried out a major satellite development test
Pyongyang conducted seven weapons tests in January, including its most powerful missile since 2017, and last week claimed to have carried out a test for the development of a reconnaissance satellite.
Seoul then spoke of a ballistic missile.
North Korea faces tough international sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs, but launches of satellites for peaceful purposes are not subject to the same level of restrictions, although the rockets that carry them use large part the same technology.
Despite those sanctions, Pyongyang has so far rejected all offers of dialogue since the breakdown in 2019 of talks between leader Kim Jong Un and then-US President Donald Trump.
