4/6 Clinton: DPRK

Secretary's Remarks: RemarksWith Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere After Their Meeting
Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:30:38 -0500

RemarksWith Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere After Their Meeting

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary of State

Treaty Room

Washington, DC

April 6, 2009

 

EXCERPT

MR. WOOD: We have time for two questions, the first one from Kirit Radia of ABC News.

 

 

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, yesterday the Security Council failed to condemn North Korea for its launch, and U.S. efforts appear increasingly unlikely to get a strong international response that you’re looking for. What can the U.S. do bilaterally and internationally to punish North Korea?

 

 

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, first let me say that the U nited States is joined by many countries in denouncing the actions of North Korea. It was, in our view, a clear violation of Security Council Resolution 1718. It’s a provocative act that has grave implications. North Korea ignored its international obligations, rejected the unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations.

We are actively involved in consultation with partners at the United Nations, members of the Security Council. I have spoken with all of the foreign ministers of the countries that participate in the Six-Party Talks, some more than once. And we know that working out the exact language is not easily done overnight, but we remain convinced that coming out with a strong position in the United Nations is the first and important step that we intend to take.

 

North Korea has to know that any efforts to obtain the objectives it set forth as desiring in the Six-Party Talks are put at jeopardy. But we’re going to take this one step at a time, and right now our representative to the United Nations is involved in nonstop discussions, as are myself and other members of this government, and we’re not going to prejudge the outcome.