MANILA -- The United States Embassy in Manila on Wednesday echoed Washington's statement against Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) latest ballistic missile launch, which "indiscriminately threatens" the region, its neighbors, and the global stability.
In a statement sent through the embassy, State Secretary Rex Tillerson said aside from implementing all existing United Nations sanctions, "the international community must take additional measures to enhance maritime security, including the right to interdict maritime traffic transporting goods to and from the DPRK."
He stressed that all nations must continue strong economic and diplomatic measures on the hermit kingdom.
As per Tillerson, the United States, in partnership with Canada, will convene a meeting of the United Nations Command Sending States to include the Republic of Korea and Japan and other key affected countries to discuss how the global community can counter North Korea’s threat to international peace.
"Diplomatic options remain viable and open, for now. The United States remains committed to finding a peaceful path to denuclearization and to ending belligerent actions by North Korea," he said.
As it condemned North Korea's latest launch presumed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, Washington reiterated how this indiscriminately threatens the region and global stability.
"The DPRK’s relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them must be reversed," Tillerson said.
He urged the international community to come together as nations "must continue to send a unified message to North Korea that the DPRK must abandon its WMD (weapon of mass destruction) programs." (PNA)
