Date:17/10/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/10/17/stories/2006101702591001.htm

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Sanctions on N. Korea

This refers to the editorial "Unhelpful step" (Oct. 16). I agree that the United Nations Security Council resolution on North Korea is untenable and ultra vires the U.N. charter. The double standards adopted by the Big 5 nuclear weapon states and the new entrants to the nuclear club are visible to all. Another example is their ignoring of the stockpiling of nuclear warheads by Israel and overreaction to Iran's attempts at enriching uranium.

Their attitude is akin to the quarrel of passengers trying to get into a crowded train. They quarrel with those inside the compartment but once in, they start quarrelling with those wishing to get in at the next station.

K. Lakshmanan,
Tiruchi

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The UNSC voting 15-0 in favour of the U.S.-drafted resolution — that reeks of not only double standards but also disregard for the plight of the people of the DPRK — is disturbing. It points to the increasing unipolarity of the world, and the moribund nature of the U.N.

Nalini Vijayaraghavan,
Thiruvananthapuram

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The UNSC has only echoed the voice of the U.S. The sanctions will destabilise the Korean peninsula. The P-5 should resume talks with North Korea to restore peace and stability in the region.

Roikka Hazarika,
Jorhat, Assam

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Will softer options persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons? Over the last 20 years, the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and China have been trying to talk North Korea into giving up the nuclear option. But it responded by withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and building a clandestine nuclear bomb with assistance from our friends across the border. If the sanctions are imposed in right earnest, North Korea may realise that the economic pain is not worth holding on to the bomb.

Subramanian Ravi,
Singapore