- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Switzerland Ready to Become N Korean Nuclear Issue Talks' Mediator – President

© REUTERS / Toru HanaiPeople walk past a street monitor showing a news report about North Korea's nuclear test, in Tokyo, Japan, September 3, 2017
People walk past a street monitor showing a news report about North Korea's nuclear test, in Tokyo, Japan, September 3, 2017 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Switzerland is ready to serve as a mediator in the possible negotiations on the North Korea nuclear issue, country’s President Doris Leuthard said on Monday.

BERN (Sputnik) – Switzerland believes that it is high time to solve the North Korean issue through a dialogue and is ready to serve as a mediator in the possible negotiations, country’s President Doris Leuthard said on Monday.

"The sanctions against North Korea have been existing for many years but that does not change the situation. People are suffering but continue to support the country’s leadership. That is why I believe that it is high time to launch the dialogue," the president said, adding that Switzerland was ready to be a mediator in the settlement talks.

Russian Foreign Ministry building - Sputnik International
Russia Sees No Significant Threat From North Korea Yet
Leuthard added that in coming weeks, everything would depend on how the United States and China would influence the situation.

However, according to the Swiss Foreign Ministry, no states have so far responded to the offer.

None of the concerned parties have yet responded to Switzerland's offer to act as a mediator in talks on North Korean crisis, but it remains ready to help, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) told Sputnik on Monday.

Meanwhile, Filipino Lombardi, a lawmaker from the Swiss Christian Democratic People's Party and a co-chair of the Swiss-Russian friendship groupy, told Sputnik on Monday that Switzerland, which can "naturally" mediate between conflicting sides as a neutral country, could host negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang to settle the Korean peninsula crisis in Geneva.

"It is natural for Switzerland, being a neutral country, not a member of any military alliance, to play this mediator function in the case of conflicts. We did it successfully between Russia and Georgia, for instance, some years ago. We are contributing within the OSCE to a peaceful settlement of the crisis in Ukraine and we could do this also between the United States and North Korea," Lombardi said.

According to Filipino Lombardi, who is also a co-chair of its Swiss-Russian friendship group, representatives of both Washington and Pyongyang could meet in a number of places to discuss the conflict and the de-escalation steps, but Geneva is "a traditional place for such kind of meetings."

The United Nations Security Council votes on a new sanctions resolution that would increase economic pressure on North Korea to return to negotiations on its missile program, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017 at U.N. headquarters - Sputnik International
UNSC to Hold Emergency Meeting Over North Korea's Nuclear Test on Monday
North Korea reportedly said on Sunday that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded on an intercontinental ballistic missile. The shockwaves from the test were first registered in China, then in South Korea and Japan, before spreading further out.

The South Korean Environment Ministry has made a decision to conditionally approve the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense systems deployment on the territory of the Asian nation, local media reported Monday.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала