G-20 leaders to discuss possible rebuke of NK over ship sinking
The leaders of 20 leading economies will discuss the sinking of a South Korean warship at their summit later this week, Yonhap News reported Tuesday in Washington.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley, however, said he was not sure if the leaders either at the G-20 summit or the G-8 economic summit in Canada will produce a joint statement blaming North Korea for the sinking of the Cheonan in the Yellow Sea in March, which killed 46 sailors.
"I think the president will have the opportunity to meet with a range of leaders from the region," Crowley said. "I'm certain that the issue of North Korea and the sinking of the Cheonan will be among those issues discussed, but I can't predict what kind of a statement will come out."
Russia reportedly has expressed opposition to the draft joint statement of G-8 leaders pointing fingers at North Korea for the Cheonan's sinking, claiming a lack of concrete evidence.
Moscow says it will take time to reach its own conclusion.
Russia has sent a team of investigators to South Korea to look into the outcome of the international probe of the incident by a group of investigators from South Korea, the U.S., Australia, Britain and Sweden, which denounced Pyongyang for sending a mini-submarine to torpedo the South Korean naval ship.
North Korea denied responsibility and threatened to wage all-out war if the U.N. Security Council condemns the North with a resolution or a presidential statement.
Crowley reiterated calls on the international community to respond strongly.
"We, the United States, continue to support South Korea and feel that it's important that the international community come together and make a strong, unequivocal response to this provocation by North Korea," he said. "There are discussions that continue in New York regarding the Cheonan. As we've mentioned, there was a briefing by those who did the investigation to the Security Council several days ago. And now this is under active discussion."