US warns of “catastrophic consequences” if North Korea is not brought to heel
By
Peter Symonds
29 April 2017
In an address yesterday to the UN Security Council, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned of “catastrophic consequences” if member states did not take swift action to force North Korea to the negotiating table on harsh US terms.
Tillerson again reiterated that “all options” were on the table, saying that diplomatic and financial measures “will be backed up by a willingness to counteract North Korean aggression with military action if necessary.”
His remarks came as North Korea conducted the test launch of a medium-range ballistic missile early Saturday morning local time, which reportedly failed.
Tillerson’s comments underline the acute danger of conflict that the Trump administration’s brinkmanship has created on the Korean Peninsula. The US is using the threat of an imminent war, which could rapidly escalate into a global nuclear disaster, to bully the world—especially North Korea and China—into accepting its demands.
Throughout his speech, the secretary of state repeatedly stressed the urgency of the UN Security Council taking action against North Korea. “For too long, the international community has been reactive in addressing North Korea. Those days must come to an end,” he declared. “Failing to act now on the most pressing security issue in the world may bring catastrophic consequences.”
The US has applied immense pressure to both North Korea and China through its military build-up in North East Asia. In addition to continuing joint US-South Korean war games, the Pentagon has dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group, headed by the USS Carl Vinson, and a nuclear submarine, which are currently engaged in exercises with…