Moscow:
North Korea has warned foreign diplomats in its capital of Pyongyang
that it can’t guarantee the safety of embassies in the event of a
conflict and suggested they may want to evacuate their staff, Russia’s
top diplomat said Friday. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is demanding an
explanation from the North Koreans — asking whether the warning is an
order to evacuate or merely a proposal that they should consider doing
so. “This proposal has been sent to all the embassies in Pyongyang,”
Lavrov said. “We are now trying to clarify the situation.”
About two dozen countries have embassies in North Korea. Lavrov was quoted during a visit to Uzbekistan as saying that Russia is in touch with China, the US, Japan and South Korea to try to figure out the motivation behind the warning.
Britain’s foreign office confirmed that it had received the warning. “The British embassy in Pyongyang received a communication from the North Korean government on Friday saying that the North Korean government would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organizations in the country in the event of conflict from April 10th,” it said. Britain said it had no immediate plans to withdraw.
Other nations with diplomatic missions in North Korea, such as the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria, also said they were weighing the situation carefully. The Czechs said they had no plans to withdraw; the Romanians and Bulgarians said they were speaking with the EU about the situation. AP
North’s missiles put on launchers
North Korea has moved a second mid-range missile to its east coast and loaded both on mobile launchers, a report said on Friday, fuelling fears of an imminent firing that will further ramp up tensions. Yonhap news agency, citing a top South Korean official, said two intermediate Musudan missiles had been transported by train earlier in the week and “loaded on vehicles equipped with launch pads”. The defence ministry, which on Thursday had confirmed the movement of one missile with “considerable range”, declined to comment on the new report. It was the latest incremental move by North Korea which, incensed at fresh UN sanctions and South Korea-US military drills, has issued a series of apocalyptic threats of nuclear war in recent weeks. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the barrage of rhetoric fitted a “regrettable but familiar” pattern of North Korean behaviour. AFP
About two dozen countries have embassies in North Korea. Lavrov was quoted during a visit to Uzbekistan as saying that Russia is in touch with China, the US, Japan and South Korea to try to figure out the motivation behind the warning.
Britain’s foreign office confirmed that it had received the warning. “The British embassy in Pyongyang received a communication from the North Korean government on Friday saying that the North Korean government would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organizations in the country in the event of conflict from April 10th,” it said. Britain said it had no immediate plans to withdraw.
Other nations with diplomatic missions in North Korea, such as the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria, also said they were weighing the situation carefully. The Czechs said they had no plans to withdraw; the Romanians and Bulgarians said they were speaking with the EU about the situation. AP
North’s missiles put on launchers
North Korea has moved a second mid-range missile to its east coast and loaded both on mobile launchers, a report said on Friday, fuelling fears of an imminent firing that will further ramp up tensions. Yonhap news agency, citing a top South Korean official, said two intermediate Musudan missiles had been transported by train earlier in the week and “loaded on vehicles equipped with launch pads”. The defence ministry, which on Thursday had confirmed the movement of one missile with “considerable range”, declined to comment on the new report. It was the latest incremental move by North Korea which, incensed at fresh UN sanctions and South Korea-US military drills, has issued a series of apocalyptic threats of nuclear war in recent weeks. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the barrage of rhetoric fitted a “regrettable but familiar” pattern of North Korean behaviour. AFP
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