North Korea warns US, Europe against raising missile tests at UN

North Korea warned the United States, Britain, France and Germany on Monday against raising the issue of Pyongyang’s missile tests at the United Nations Security Council saying it would “further urge our desire to defend our sovereignty.”

The 15-member council is due to meet behind closed doors on Tuesday after North Korea said last week it had test-fired a new submarine-launched ballistic missile. The discussion was requested by Germany with the support of Britain and France.

“We know well that the United States is behind impure moves of the UK, France and Germany,” North Korea’s UN Ambassador Kim Song told a small group of reporters at Pyongyang’s UN mission.

“The United States and its followers should bear in mind that if they raise the issue of our self-defensive measures at the UN Security Council meeting in this moment, it will further urge our desire to defend our sovereignty,” Kim said.

The missile launch last Wednesday was the most provocative by North Korea since it resumed a dialogue with the US in 2018. Security Council resolutions ban Pyongyang from using ballistic missile technology.

The test came ahead of fresh nuclear talks between North Korea and the US in Sweden. The working-level talks were broken offon Saturday after Pyongyang blamed Washington for inflexibility.

‘Seriously faltering’

Speaking from New York, Al Jazeera’s Diplomatic Editor James Bays said diplomacy with the North was “seriously faltering”.

When asked how Pyongyang would defend its sovereignty and if it could involve further missile tests, Kim said, “Please carefully watch what we will do in the future,” and that “it does not mean the launch of another missile.”

Kim said he had no information on what the US had offered North Korea at the talks.

North Korea said in a statement on Sunday there was no way the US would bring alternative plans for their stalled nuclear talks to another meeting proposed by Sweden in two weeks. It warned that it would wait only until the end of the year for the US to change course.

The US State Department said it had accepted Sweden’s invitation to return for more discussions with Pyongyang in two weeks. When asked if North Korea would return to Sweden at that time, Kim deferred to the foreign ministry statement, which was unclear about whether Pyongyang would attend.