Waching daily Nov 30 2017

This is the ninth time this year that the Security Council has met in Princeton, North Korea

Last time we spoke in the Security Council about North Korea's development of nuclear weapons

the United States made clear

future of North Korea within the hands of its leaders if

They chose the path of peace the world would live in peace with them

But if goes the path of defiance we would respond appropriately

The choice we said was theirs

Yesterday the North Korean regime made a choice

It chose to feed its nuclear aggression it chose to thumb its nose at the civilized world

It chose to challenge the patience of a world United

Against its recklessness and with this choice comes a critical decision point for the rest of the world

The world has responded powerfully to North Korea's outrageous and lawless actions this council has taken unprecedented

measures to stop North Korea's development of a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile

We have leveled the most impact impactful sanctions that any country has experienced in a generation

We have cut deep into North Korea's major export industries to eliminate the revenue for it's illegal missile program

We have reduced its military access to the refiner Oleum needed to run its war machine in

Addition to our work here in the Security Council

Many nations have taken their own strong actions against North Korea's threat to peace

Just this year as North Korea's behavior has become more intolerable

Over 20 countries from every corner of the globe have restricted or ended their diplomatic relations

Mexico Peru

Italy Spain and Kuwait have expelled North Korea's ambassadors from their countries

Portugal and the United Arab Emirates have suspended diplomatic relations

The Philippines and Taiwan have suspended all trade with North Korea

Singapore formerly North Korea's seventh largest trading partner has cut all trade ties

Uganda has halted all military and security ties

the European Union, Australia

South Korea and Japan

Have made additional sacrifices for peace and security by going well beyond what the Security Council requires?

All of the countries that have taken actions to isolate, North Korea

Have acted out of deep concern about the regime's dangerous refusal to

abandon its nuclear program

They have selflessly put the security of all of us above their individual political and economic interests

They have won. The gratitude of the international community for their responsible actions

Regrettably not all countries have done the same

All UN member states are at the very minimum

Obligated to fully implement all UN sanctions, but we know that's not happening in every case

This council has banned coal exports from North Korea

And yet we have reports of the regime continuing to smuggle coal into neighboring Asian countries using deceptive tactics

To mask the coals origins this council is required that all refined petroleum

Imports into North Korea not exceed the annual cap and we banned ship-to-ship transfers

And yet we see North Korea illegally obtaining refined petroleum from neighboring states through ship-to-ship

transfers in the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan

There are countries that are continuing to fund the North Korean nuclear program by violating UN sanctions and obstructing our efforts

the world knows who many of them are as

Successful as we've been in leveling multilateral sanctions against it the North Korean regime

Continues to test new and more powerful missiles

and as it does it continues its march toward a functional nuclear arsenal the

Continuing development of these missile systems demands that countries further

Isolate the Kim regime

So today we call on all nations to cut off all ties with North Korea in

Addition to fully implementing all UN sanctions all countries should sever diplomatic relations with North Korea and limit military

scientific technical or commercial cooperation

They must also cut off trade with the regime by stopping all imports and exports and expel all North Korean workers

just last week the world was given a stark reminder of the

barbarity of the North Korean regime when one of its own soldiers fled the country

Even more than the dramatic video of the soldiers escape more shocking was the soldiers medical condition

Unrelated to his bullet wounds

while being treated by a South Korean medical team doctors discovered that the soldier had parasites and

uncooked corn camp in his digestive tract

Clear evidence that the North Korean regime is unwilling to properly feed even its own

high-ranking military troops, this is the incomprehensible

nature of North Korea

Yesterday's missile launch was more advanced than previously

No one can doubt that this threat is growing

No one can doubt that North Korean dictator is getting more aggressive in his obsession for nuclear power

Yesterday the regime declared itself the nuclear power saying that it quote

Completed the state nuclear force tipped with a super. Heavy warhead capable of striking the whole mainland of the United States

But the North Korean regime missed something very important as we have said for being a nuclear power

comes with certain standards

It comes with being responsible enough to know that you don't threaten other countries with nuclear weapons

You don't starve your own people in order to fund nuclear weapons

You don't bully and play games with nuclear weapons the regime has shown time and again that it doesn't want to talk

Kim didn't even speak with President

Xi's envoy when he was sent to talk to the regime it has emphatically said it will not eliminate its new

production and North Korea is in clear violation of multiple

Security Council

Resolutions we are once again at a time of reckoning we have some options

First we should continue to treat North Korea as the international pariah it has become by taking its UN rights and privileges

away including its voting powers

Second we know the main driver of its nuclear production is oil through sanctions

We have caught off 90 percent of North Korean trade and 30 percent of its oil

But the crude oil remains the major supplier of that oil is China in

2003 China actually stopped the oil to North Korea

Soon after North Korea came to the table we need China to do more

President Truong called Chinese President Xi this morning and told him that we've come to the point that China must cut off the oil

from, North Korea

that would be a pivotal step in the world's effort to stop this international pariah as

I mentioned many countries have made some big economic and political

sacrifices by cutting ties with North Korea

They did that to serve the peace and security of all of us

We now turn to President Xi to also take that stand

We believe he has an opportunity to do the right thing for the benefit of all countries

China must show leadership and follow-through

China can do this on its own or we can take the oil situation into our own hands

The dictator of North Korea made a choice yesterday that brings the world closer to war not farther from it

We have never sought war with North Korea and still today

We do not seek it if war does come it will be because of continued acts of aggression

Like we witnessed yesterday, and if war comes

Make no mistake the North Korean regime will be utterly

destroyed

The nations of the world have it within their power to further isolate diminish and god-willing

Reverse the dangerous course of the North Korean regime. We must all do our part to make that happen. Thank you