US Vice President Joe Biden Tuesday demanded China and Russia get tough with North Korea, threatening the Stalinist state with new sanctions after its weekend missile test.
Following the failure of the United States and its allies to procure UN Security Council condemnation of the test, Biden said pressure should be applied through six-party talks designed to halt North Korea”s nuclear drive.
“What I”d like to see is a strong condemnation and a united effort on the part of the Chinese, Russians in the six-party talks to say, enough is enough, there will be greater sanctions, we will squeeze down even harder on North Korea,” he said in an interview with CNN.
“China could do a great deal more,” Biden said, without elaborating.
“North Korea is not only a threat to the United States of America, it”s a greater threat to the region.”
The United States is pushing for a stern response from the UN Security Council to condemn what it calls a provocative act, but the world body is split and US officials have hinted they may not insist on a binding resolution.
China and Russia both urged restraint after North Korea”s media boasted of a “historic” achievement in putting into orbit a satellite that they said was now beaming back patriotic songs.
The United States and its allies say the satellite never made it into space and Sunday”s launch was really a failed ballistic missile test.
Biden indicated that prospective buyers of North Korean missile technology would now be put off. He did not specify who, but US intelligence accuses Pyongyang of supplying technology notably to Pakistan and Iran.
“The North Koreans launching their missile, the third stage failed. So they”re not going to be a very reliable seller to anybody who would want to buy their missiles,” the vice president said.
