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Wednesday 30 august 2017
White House:

‘All options are on table’ after North Korea missile launch

By D. SUPERVILLE pre-emptive strike on the
M. PENNINGTON North, telling reporters that
Associated Press any such deliberations must
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- be kept private to avoid
dent Donald Trump sought ceding any leverage to
Tuesday to reassert an Pyongyang. Still, Tuesday’s
American military threat statement implied that
against North Korea, say- U.S. military action remains
ing that “all options are on an option for resolving the
the table” in response to standoff over North Korea’s
its launch of a missile over development of nuclear
close U.S. ally Japan. weapons that could even-
In a terse, written state- tually strike the American
ment, Trump said that North mainland. Still, a U.S. military
Korea’s missile launch “sig- strike against North Korea is
naled its contempt for its considered highly unlikely.
neighbors, for all members Even Trump’s own strate-
of the United Nations and gic adviser, Steve Bannon,
for minimum standards of dismissed the threat as a
acceptable international bluff shortly before he was
behavior.” “Threatening dismissed earlier this month.
and destabilizing actions North Korea has the world’s
only increase the North Ko- largest standing army and
rean regime’s isolation in A Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) member stands guard at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in a massive conventional
Fussa, on the outskirts of Tokyo Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. The pre-planned training took place the
the region and among all same morning North Korea fired a missile over Japan. President Donald Trump said Tuesday, Aug. weapons arsenal that can
nations of the world,” Trump 29, 2017 that “all options are on the table” in terms of a U.S. response to North Korea’s launch of easily target the South Ko-
said. “All options are on the a missile over Japan. rean capital of Seoul and
table.” Trump later told re- (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) its metropolitan area of
porters, “We’ll see, we’ll over Japan and splashed he warned of “fire and siles for nearly a month and about 25 million people.
see” when asked what he into the northern Pacific fury” if North Korea per- suggested its newfound re- While Democrat and Re-
would do. Trump, accom- Ocean, officials said, as sisted in threatening the straint could point the way publican presidents have
panied by first lady Mela- Washington and South Ko- United States. A military so- toward new negotiations. routinely offered the “all
nia Trump, was departing rea were conducting war lution, he added days later, The hiatus ended when the options on the table” for-
the White House to survey games nearby. While the was “locked and loaded.” North tested three short- mulation, U.S. officials have
storm damage in southeast tone of Trump’s statement But last week, the Trump ad- range missiles off its east- long assessed that the
Texas. North Korea on Tues- was tough, it was far less ministration suddenly ad- ern coast last Friday. The North would likely respond
day fired a midrange ballis- bombastic than his tweets opted a more conciliatory president has repeatedly to any U.S. strike by attack-
tic missile designed to carry and threats earlier this tone. It praised the North declined to discuss in any ing its southern neighbor or
a nuclear payload. It flew month. Three weeks ago, for not launching any mis- detail the potential for a nearby Japan. q

Russia, UAE tell North Korea: Stop your ‘provocations’

By JON GAMBELL nese island of Hokkaido, Lavrov said.
Associated Press appeared to be the first to “We base our position on
ABU DHABI, United Arab cross over Japan. these statements during
Emirates (AP) — The foreign It sparked new fears about discussions in the Secu-
ministers of Russia and the a confrontation between rity Council and will do the
United Arab Emirates urged Pyongyang and America’s same in the session, which
North Korea on Tuesday to Asian allies in the region, as far as we understand is
stop its provocations and especially as U.S. President being planned now and
obey United Nations reso- Donald Trump has taken a which will be dedicated
lutions, after Pyongyang’s hard line against the coun- to discussing the last mis-
launch of a ballistic missile try. Russian Foreign Minister sile launches from North
over Japan. Sergey Lavrov, who is visit- Korea.” Sheikh Abdullah
Speaking in Abu Dhabi, ing the UAE as part of a went further. “The situa-
the two ministers offered a three Gulf Arab nation tour tion cannot continue to
forceful warning for Pyong- over the ongoing diplo- escalate between North
yang, with Emirati Foreign matic crisis involving Qatar, Korea on one side and Ja-
Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, shakes hands with avoided discussing that dis- pan and South Korea on
Al Nahyan particularly call- Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, right, pute. He instead focused the other,” he said. “North
after a news conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates,
ing for North Korea to stop Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. The two foreign ministers discussed in part on North Korea. Korea cannot continue to
its “provocations.” North Korea after Pyongyang’s launch of a missile over Japan. “Regarding North Korea disregard the U.N. Secu-
But what was left unsaid (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) and the missile tests it is rity Council resolutions and
between the two ministers wages help Pyongyang ing into the northern Pacific conducting, we stick to the the U.N.’s call to stop its
was their own diplomatic avoid international sanc- Ocean. resolutions of the U.N. Secu- provocations.” The remarks
and commercial ties to tions. Early Tuesday, North The missile, which trav- rity Council and we insist on by the two, however, did
North Korea, with the UAE Korea fired a ballistic mis- eled some 2,700 kilome- the fact that our North Ko- not mention their coun-
in particular home to thou- sile from its capital that flew ters (1,677 miles) on its trip rean neighbors should fully tries’ commercial ties to
sands of its workers whose over Japan before crash- over the northern Japa- respect those resolutions,” Pyongyang.q