US: Ready to use force in North Korea 'if we must'

The United States vowed to use military force to defend the country and its allies against a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) if necessary, but said it prefers to use its clout in international trade to address the growing threat.


In a hard-hitting speech at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council after Pyongyang's successful launch of an ICBM, US Ambassador Nikki Haley on Wednesday said that "the world has become a more dangerous place" and China has a key role in promoting peace.

China is responsible for 90 percent of trade with North Korea and Haley warned that Beijing risks its massive trade with the US if its business dealings with Pyongyang violate UN sanctions.

She said the US doesn't seek conflict - "in fact we seek to avoid it".

But she said the launch of an ICBM "is a clear and sharp military escalation" and the US is prepared to use its "considerable military forces" to defend itself and its allies "if we must".

But Haley said the Trump administration prefers "not to go in that direction" but to use its "great capabilities in the area of trade" to address "those who threaten us and ... those who supply the threats."
 [aljazeera.com]
6/7/17