U.N. chief warns if U.S. pulls back, others will fill leadership role

By Michelle Nichols

ReutersMay 31, 2017

ricky l

1 second ago

This again demonstrate that Trump has no strategic depth and strategic vision - but a self-centred greedy businessman mentality.

US is steadily losing its global leadership role and harm its reputation and credibility very badly worldwide.

 

U.N. chief warns if U.S. pulls back, others will fill leadership role

By Michelle Nichols

ReutersMay 31, 2017

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres addresses the London Somalia Conference' at Lancaster House, May 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jack Hill/Pool -

By Michelle Nichols

NEW YORK (Reuters) - United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday he is trying to convince U.S. President Donald Trump's administration of the value of investing in foreign aid and diplomacy and warned that if Washington pulled back as a global leader, other states would step up.

Trump has proposed cutting U.S. diplomacy and aid budgets by about a third, or nearly $19 billion. This includes cutting some $1 billion from U.N. peacekeeping funding and a steep cut to funding for international organizations.

"We are doing our best in dialogue with the administration and Congress to make the U.S. understand that funding development aid, funding foreign policy in general, funding organizations like the U.N., is also in the interests of the American people," Guterres told an event at New York University.

Congress sets the federal government budget, and Republicans who control both houses and Democrats have said they do not support such drastic cuts. [nL1N1IP1BV]

The United States is the biggest U.N. contributor, paying 22 percent of the $5.4 billion core budget and 28.5 percent of the $7.9 billion peacekeeping budget. These assessed contributions are agreed by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly.

Guterres also said if a power like the United States pulled back from a global leadership role, others could fill the void.

"It's not only the Russias and the Chinas that are occupying the ground; if you look at Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, the regional powers in many parts of the world - when the big powers leave some space they will occupy it," he said.

"Sometimes this then has consequences and especially when everything is linked," Guterres said. "If you leave a void to others to occupy you might be creating a problem (for) your own internal security."

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by James Dalgleish)

U.S., China debating when U.N. should act on North Korea - Haley

By Michelle Nichols

ReutersMay 31, 2017

ricky l

now

Haley said the United States believes "China is doing back-channel networking with North Korea in a way that's getting them to try and stop the nuclear testing. So we believe that they are being productive."
--

Let us hope this works.

Because if not, continue down the trend of missile tests and nuclear tests path ---- the final end - will be nuclear war that N Korea will have no chance to survive.

N. Korea prepared for new ICBM test: state media

AFP NewsMay 31, 2017

ricky l

7 seconds ago

N Korea is not stopping the nuclear catastrophe that it is creating for itself.

The prophecy that it will happen did not change.

N Korea leadership will be killing their own population with the most terrible consequences.

US successfully tests ICBM defense system

Thomas WATKINS

AFP NewsMay 31, 2017

ricky l

2 seconds ago

This show that N Korea has no chance to win or go one up against US.

N Korea :-
(1) Conventional forces will have no match for US coalition - in terms of firepower
(2) Airforce will be overwhelmed and defeated
(3) No air superiority - that will be constantly bombarded by US coalition overwhelming air power
(4) Nuclear force and missile is still not yet mature
(5) Missiles can be intercepted by US anti-missiles system, where N Korea don't have capabilities to intercept US missiles and nuclear missiles if N Korea first trigger nuclear weapons.

So against all overwhelming odd, how can N Korea be so insane and stubborn not to ask for denuclearisation talk when N Korea know that it has no chance of winning?

And also if a war start, N Korea will attempt to use its immature nuclear - and this will definitely trigger overwhelming nuclear response from US :-
(1) Nuclear from bombers
(2) nuclear from carrier groups
(3) nuclear from nuclear submarines
(4) nuclear from US mainland - launching its ICBM minuteman with multiple warheads

Wonder how will N Korea survive - when hit by overwhelming nuclear attacks from US?

N Korea will be mired in nuclear winter - with no chance of survival.

The only way N Korea can survive is denuclearisation talk - not persistent missile tests and nuclear tests - this will only bring faster demise to N Korea ---- if N Korea still unable to come to its senses.

U.S., China debating when U.N. should act on North Korea - Haley

By Michelle Nichols

ReutersMay 31, 2017

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley in Ankara, Turkey, May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Burhan Ozbilici/Pool

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States and China are negotiating when they should push for further United Nations Security Council action on North Korea and could reach a decision this week, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Tuesday.

Haley characterized the discussions between Washington and Beijing as "at what point ... do we say 'OK, now it's time for a resolution?'"

U.N. diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said it appeared China was still only prepared to act if North Korea conducted a long-range missile launch or a nuclear test and that Beijing does not view the dozens of ballistic missile launches in the past year as warranting further U.N. sanctions.

"(The Chinese) have the lay of the land and so we're going to keep the pressure on China, but we're going to continue to work with them in any way that they think is best, and I think that we'll decide this week on what that looks like," Haley told reporters.

The Security Council first imposed sanctions on Pyongyang in 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs and has ratcheted up the measures in response to five nuclear tests and two long-range missile launches. North Korea is threatening a sixth nuclear test.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the U.N. Security Council on April 28 that the 15-member body needed to act before North Korea does. Just hours after the meeting, chaired by Tillerson, Pyongyang launched yet another ballistic missile.

Within days the United States proposed to China that the Security Council strengthen sanctions on North Korea over its repeated ballistic missile launches. Traditionally, the United States and China have negotiated new sanctions before involving the other 13 council members.

Since then Pyongyang has launched several more ballistic missiles, including a short-range ballistic missile on Monday that landed in the sea off its east coast.

"Nothing is changing North Korea's actions," said Haley, adding that it was time to say: "OK, what are we going to do if this is going to happen every other day? How should we respond in a way that we actually stop these things or slow it down?"

Haley said the United States believes "China is doing back-channel networking with North Korea in a way that's getting them to try and stop the nuclear testing. So we believe that they are being productive."

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by James Dalgleish)