The news that North Korea has tested a hydrogen bomb has thrown the situation on the Korean Peninsula deeper into crisis. London CND condemns this escalation by the DPRK. War is not the answer.
During August, as tensions on the Korean Peninsula mounted, EU leaders continued to call for diplomacy.
A statement, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini in mid-August said ‘the European Union supports diplomatic work with our partners aimed at the de-escalation of the situation and achieving the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula through peaceful, not military, means.’
German Chancellor Angela Merkel also made a strong call for diplomacy. Germany would not ‘automatically’ join the United States in a potential war on North Korea, she said. ‘I do not agree that diplomacy won’t work. I do not agree that all diplomatic means have been exhausted.’
Peace organisations called for de-escalation during August. Peace Action USA and Abolition 2000 each launched a call for talks, as did the Japan Council Against A and H Bombs (Gensuikyo). On 3 September, they condemned the DPKR’s hydrogen bomb test with the following statement:
We Condemn North Korea for Its Nuclear Test
September 3, 2017
Yasui Masakazu, Secretary General
Japan Council against A and H Bombs (Gensuikyo)
Today, North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) conducted its 6th nuclear test. This is a serious challenge to the international community, threatening peace and security of the world and the region. We firmly condemn this outrageous act, which blatantly tramples upon the aspiration of the people of the A-bombed Japan for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The cycle of reciprocal provocations and threats by the U.S. and North Korea is heightening the real possibility of military conflict, creating a very dangerous situation.
We urge North Korean government to immediately end all nuclear tests and missile launches. At the same time, all parties concerned must stop any provocative acts, including military exercises, and clarify their stances to achieve a peaceful settlement of the problem.
Japanese government’s response as a neighbor of demanding that North Korea should stop nuclear tests and missile launches is not enough. Japan must support the efforts of resolving the issue through negotiations based on the Constitution of Japan, the U.N. Charter and the resolutions of the Security Council and urge the U.S. and North Korea to hold a dialogue.
Coming September 20, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will be open for signatures, demonstrating that the major trend of the world is moving towards a total ban on nuclear weapons. The effort to press for this direction is more necessary in this East Asian region than anywhere else. We reiterate our call on North Korea, Japan and all other parties concerned to clearly shift their directions from the dependence on nuclear deterrence to the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons.
