Despite our best efforts at the Civil Society Round Table and individual meeting with the U.S. and Canadian delegations, the Foreign Ministers chose to continue the "maximum pressure" strategy on North Korea through rigorous enforcement of UN sanctions and an underscoring that a nuclear-armed North Korea would never be accepted.
Our delegation responded that the Foreign Ministers had chosen to further isolate and threaten North Korea, a strategy that had utterly failed to halt North Korea's nuclear and missile program and had only furthered the DPRK's resolve to develop its nuclear arsenal. We know that the sanctions that have been imposed have cruel and punishing effects on ordinary North Koreans and are considered by North Korea as warfare-economic warfare, just as military war preparations (games) are considered as pre-invasion and regime overthrow warfare.
We are profoundly disappointed by the Foreign Ministers who represent countries with a commitment to peaceful diplomacy and feminist foreign policies. At a time of great global instability, we looked to them for leadership for true global peace and security, but found instead continuation of threats, isolation and economic and military warfare.
At the state level, we hope that the State of Hawaii will discontinue its monthly (and accidental?) siren and cell phone war-mongering and requiring schools to show "duck and cover" videos that are conditioning the public for war and increased military spending, instead of the less expensive and more successful strategy -- dialogue!
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