US accuses Beijing of attempting to conceal North Korean crimes

• The United States accused China g to conceal North Korea’s crimes by blocking the webcast of an informal meeting.
• China and Russia claim that the Security Council should not consider human rights problems.
• They argue that such gatherings should be limited to other United Nations organizations.

The United States accused China on Friday of seeking to conceal North Korea’s crimes by blocking the webcast of an informal meeting of United Nations Security Council members on Pyongyang’s human rights violations.

“Some council members are all too willing to shield the regime from accountability,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the meeting in a veiled reference to China and Russia.

China and Russia claim that the Security Council, which has 15 members and is responsible for ensuring international peace and security, should not consider human rights problems. They argue that such gatherings should be limited to other United Nations organizations such as the Human Rights Council or the General Assembly.

Not constructive

The meeting, co-hosted by the US and Albania, was “not constructive in any way,” according to Chinese envoy Xing Jisheng.

“Instead of easing tension, it may rather intensify the conflict and therefore is an irresponsible move. Using U.N. WebTV for live broadcast is a waste of U.N. resources,” he said.

To allow such informal meetings to be streamed by the UN, all 15 council members must agree, and diplomats claimed it was unusual for a broadcast to be banned. Despite China’s decision, the meeting on Friday was open to the public and journalists.

Thomas-Greenfield said North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs were “inextricably linked to the regime’s human rights abuses.”

“The pursuit of weapons of mass destruction always trumps human rights and humanitarian needs of its people,” she said. “(North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un has chosen ammunition instead of nutrition, missiles over humankind.”

North Korea did not attend the summit. The United Nations delegation did not respond to a request for comment.

Pyongyang disputes claims of human rights violations and blames sanctions for North Korea’s dismal humanitarian situation. Since 2006, the country has been sanctioned by the United Nations for its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

“The feigned hypocritical concern of the West about human rights in North Korea isn’t fooling anybody,” Russian diplomat Stepan Kuzmenkov told the meeting. “Everybody knows full well that the U.S. uses human rights to settle scores with governments not to their liking.”

According to diplomats, the United Nations Security Council will conduct a formal meeting on Monday in response to North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday.

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