N. Korean envoy to UN calls on U.S. to lift sanctionsJune 21, 2013 - 21:12 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - North Korea's envoy to the United Nations on Friday, June 21, called on the United States to lift its economic sanctions against Pyongyang and urged UN members not to follow Security Council sanctions imposed over the North's nuclear and missile tests, Reuters reported. "I urge the United States to stop economic sanctions against us," North Korean UN Ambassador Sin Son-ho told reporters at a rare news conference at UN headquarters in New York. He added that he appealed to UN member states not to "blindly" follow UN sanctions against Pyongyang. Sin blamed the tensions on the Korean peninsula on the United States. He said Washington was responsible for a situation in which there is "neither peace nor war on the Korean peninsula." "The most pressing issue is the aggression between the U.S. and the DPRK (North Korea) which could result in another war at any moment." He reiterated Pyongyang's call for senior-level talks with the United States aimed at replacing the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War with a peace treaty. "The Korean armistice agreement has been nullified by the United States," he said. He also called for the dissolution of the U.S.-led UN Command in South Korea, saying the forces are "war-oriented and not peace-oriented" and describing them as the "root of evil." Sin said he would submit a proposal for dissolving the UN Command, which he said had nothing to do with the United Nations, to the UN General Assembly. The 193-nation assembly does not have the power to issue binding decisions, which is something only the Security Council can do. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |