1st LD Writethru: No military solution to Korean Peninsula nuclear crisis: Swedish FM

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom on Friday called for diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, saying that there is no military solution.

"There is no military solution to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. We have to exhaust every avenue for diplomacy and dialogue. Efforts are urgent. The consequences of failure would be disastrous," she told the Security Council.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula is the greatest threat to international peace and security facing the world today, she said.

"Over the last year, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have continued to rise. They have now reached a very dangerous level. Provocations have been accompanied by an increase in confrontational rhetoric. In this environment, the potential for mistakes, misunderstandings and miscalculations is high."

The adoption of Security Council Resolution 2375 earlier this year toughened the targeted sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). It now constitutes the most rigorous sanctions regime ever enforced under the UN system, she noted.

In parallel to effectively implementing the sanctions regime, more efforts are needed to reduce tensions in order to advance the prospects for a comprehensive settlement, she said.

Sanctions alone will not resolve the current situation. Intensified and creative diplomatic efforts that pave the way for a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution are urgently needed, she said.

The situation must be approached without prejudice, and the international community must be prepared to consider both new and previous proposals and agreements. In this regard, there is also a need to explore the possibilities for regional security cooperation and arrangements, she said.

At the same time, it is of utmost importance that the humanitarian exemptions provided for under the sanctions regime are upheld. Reports that international humanitarian organisations' ability to provide assistance has been reduced, therefore, need to be addressed, she said.

The humanitarian situation for the ordinary people of the DPRK remains of serious concern, she said, adding that the responsibility for the well-being of the DPRK people falls on the government.

"The DPRK has repeatedly violated international law, including numerous Security Council resolutions. Its actions are also contrary to the existing global norm against nuclear testing, embodied in the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and global non-proliferation norms," said Wallstrom.

She asked the DPRK to cease all provocations, engage in a credible and meaningful dialogue, abide by relevant Security Council resolutions and fulfil its international obligations, abandon its nuclear and missile programs, and to return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Enditem