Iowa Republican Urges International Sanctions Against North Korea
by Jim Brown
October 13, 2006
(AgapePress) - - U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley is lamenting China's unwillingness to confront international outlaw North Korea over what it claims was a nuclear weapons "test." The Republican lawmaker from Iowa says he is disappointed to hear that Communist China is refusing to work with the United States to get immediate sanctions against the North Korean government. The U.S. wants a new United Nations resolution that would ban travel by people involved with the Kim Jong Il regime. Grassley says the U.S. has used what he calls the "stick approach" and now needs to follow through with it.
"We've really procrastinated too long a period of time with North Korea violating international law," the senator observes. "I was hoping the Japan-South Korea-China-Russia-United States coalition against North Korea would really be solid and follow through on the distaste that we've already expressed toward North Korea's [nuclear weapons] testing."
If those five powers stick together, Grassley contends, there is a chance of bringing North Korea to an understanding of what international law is. He believes imposing international sanctions against Kim Jong Il would effectively hamper the agenda of the Pyongyang regime.
The Iowa Republican says the North Koreans raise money through counterfeiting U.S. currency, through money laundering, and through the sale of drugs and military equipment. "If we were to have trade sanctions and embargoes and inspection of things like that leaving the country or things going into the country that they need to build up their nuclear arsenal," he says, "I think we would have a very great impact on their economy and on [Kim Jong Il's] leadership."
It is possible to bring the North Korean regime and its dictator in line with such measures, Grassley suggests. He says success is likely, if the United States, Japan, South Korea, China, and Russia will act in cooperation and maintain unanimity in those efforts.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
