New York – China and Russia in a draft resolution on Tuesday urged the UN Security Council to lift the sanctions on North Korean exports such as seafood and textiles.
The two allies of Pyongyang also proposed to lift a ban on North Koreans working overseas, saying the goal was “enhancing the livelihood of the civilian population” of the country.
Such sanctions were put in place in order to cut off funding for North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.
The U.S., Britain, and France have maintained that no UN sanctions should be scrapped until Pyongyang gives up these programmes.
Beijing and Moscow circulated the draft resolution to the Security Council on Monday, days before the end-of-year deadline set by Pyongyang for Washington to offer concessions to revive denuclearization talks.
The proposed resolution “welcomes the continuation of the dialogue” between the U.S. and North Korea.
Progress on North Korean denuclearisation has stalled after a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in February which ultimately failed to resolve any issues.
At a Security Council meeting last week, the U.S. reached out to North Korea to revisit talks but also put pressure on Pyongyang, which labeled U.S. criticism of its missile tests at the meeting a “provocative act.”
Experts fear the rogue state will lift its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear testing and long-range missile testing if no progress is made before the deadline.
It is unclear when or if the 15-member Security Council will discuss China and Russia’s proposals.
(dpa/NAN)