Statement by Ambassador Xolisa Mabhongo, Deputy Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations, during the Security Council briefing on the DPRK
11 December 2019
Madame President,
I thank Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Mr Mohamed Khaled Khiari for his briefing on developments in the Democratic Republic of Korea. My intervention this afternoon will focus on a few points, including denuclearization and the humanitarian situation in the DPRK.
On the issue of the denuclearisation, South Africa welcomes the meeting between the leaders of the DPRK and the US that took place on 30 June. We encourage the parties to continue on this path for peace to prevail in the Korean peninsula.
The hosting of the three Inter-Korean Summits paving the way for the normalisation of relations between South Korea and the DPRK, and the joint projects and enhanced people-to-people activities that have taken place in the past year need to be encouraged to continue in order to strengthen the peace track.
Despite the setback following the unsuccessful outcome of the working-level meeting held in Sweden in October 2019, we join others in expressing my delegation’s support for a negotiated solution that addresses the issue of the Korean Peninsula in a holistic manner and urge the DPRK to fulfill its commitment under the Six-Party Talks. It is only through dialogue that seemingly intractable disputes such as these can be resolved. It is thus important for the Council to support the dialogue in the Korean Peninsula.
South Africa calls upon the DPRK to pursue a path towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, to rejoin the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and fulfill its safeguards obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In doing so, the DPRK will be able to restore international confidence in its peaceful nuclear and space-related activities.
Madame President,
Regarding UNSC sanctions against the DPRK, South Africa wishes to reiterate our view that all sanctions against the DPRK should be implemented in a balanced manner including the four pillars as outlined in the UNSC resolution 2397, namely the support for the political process in the Korean Peninsula, the implementation of all sectorial sanctions and travel bans/asset freezes and, last but not least, humanitarian exemptions
We would like to urge the DPRK to fully implement its obligations under the various UN Security Council resolutions, including UNSC resolution 2397 of December 2017.
We join other Council members in expressing our deep concerns about the dire humanitarian situation in the DPRK and wish to remind the Council that OP (25) of UNSC resolution 2397 empowers this Council to exempt, on a case by case basis the provision of humanitarian assistance and other economic activities and cooperation to the DPRK. We call on the Sanctions Committee to avoid any delays of such approvals, so as not to inadvertently negatively affect the provision of humanitarian assistance to the DPRK.
In conclusion Madame President, South Africa calls upon all stakeholders involved to refrain from any action, which may undermine the pursuit of a negotiated solution in the Korean Peninsula or which may increase tensions and disturb the peace process that is emerging in the region.
I thank you for your attention.
Rev. Friday, 13-Dec-2019 10:35 AM