·
USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its battle group sent to Korean
Peninsula
·
North Korea insists it is ready for war, calling US Navy deployment
'reckless'
·
Pyongyang warned it can respond to 'provocateurs' with 'powerful
force of arms'
·
Russia says officials are 'extremely worried' by prospect of US
military action
·
Donald Trump has tweeted that if China decides not to help 'we will
solve the problem without them'
· But South Korea has played down talk of an
impending outbreak of war in region
By Rachel Eddie and Julian Robinson for Be informed
PUBLISHED: 02:37 BST, 11 April 2017 | UPDATED: 15:25 BST, 11
April 2017
Donald Trump has warned
that 'North Korea is looking for trouble', insisting that if China 'does not
decide to help', the US 'will solve the problem without them'.
The US President wrote
the message on Twitter after revealing he had urged his Chinese counterpart Xi
Jinping to pressure Pyongyang in to stopping its nuclear programme.
His warning came
as Russia admitted
it is 'extremely worried' the US will attack Kim Jong-Un after North Korea warned it has US bases 'in its
nuclear sights'. Pyongyang had earlier threatened 'catastrophic consequences'
after Donald Trump sent an armada of warships to the Korean
Peninsula.
At the same time, China
has moved 150,000 troops to its border to deal with a possible influx of North
Korean refugees amid fears Trump may strike Kim Jong-un following the surprise
US missile attack on Syria last week.
G7 nations today
insisted President Bashar al-Assad must step down as part of any peace solution
in war-torn Syria and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declared it was
clear that the 'reign of the Assad family is coming to an end'.
 |
| Donald Trump has warned that 'North Korea is looking for trouble', insisting that if China 'does not decide to help', the US 'will solve the problem without them' |
 |
| The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, the guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer and the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain are pictured in March this year. North Korea has warned it is 'ready to react to any mode of war desired by the U.S.' |
Last week, North Korea
waded into the row over Syria by branding Trump's missile strike on an
airbase in the war-torn country as 'an unforgivable act of aggression'.
The US took action after
87 Syrian civilians were killed in a horrific chemical attack that Washington
blamed on Assad's forces. Russia - which has backed the Syrian dictator's
military - as well as Iran and its allies then said the US had crossed a 'red
line' and warned they 'will respond to any aggression' in the future.
This morning, North Korea warned of a nuclear attack on the US at
any sign of pre-emptive action.
Pyongyang's state
newspaper said the country was prepared to respond to any aggression.
'Our revolutionary
strong army is keenly watching every move by enemy elements with our nuclear
sight focused on the U.S. invasionary bases not only in South Korea and the
Pacific operation theatre but also in the U.S. mainland,' the Rodong Sinmun
newspaper said.
But South Korean
officials today moved to quell fears on social media of an impending security
crisis or outbreak of war.
'We'd like to ask
precaution so as not to get blinded by exaggerated assessment about the
security situation on the Korean peninsula,' Defence Ministry spokesman Moon
Sang-kyun said.
Escalating tensions over
both the threat posed by North Korea and the crisis in Syria have sparked fresh
fears the world is heading towards a new global war.
Russian President
Vladimir Putin today said he had information of future chemical weapons
'provocations' in Syria that would be used to frame Kremlin ally Bashar
al-Assad.
 |
| North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is pictured earlier this month. A spokesperson for the regime's foreign ministry says Pyongyang is ready for war |
 |
| Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured today) said he had information of future chemical weapons 'provocations' in Syria that would be used to frame Kremlin ally Bashar al-Assad |
 |
| G7 nations insisted Bashar al-Assad must step down as part of any peace solution in war-torn Syria and as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declared it was clear that the 'reign of the Assad family is coming to an end'. G7 officials are pictured as they gathered in Italy today |
Standing alongside
Italian President Sergio Mattarella who was in Moscow for talks, Putin, when
asked by a reporter if he expected more U.S. missile strikes on Syria, said:
'We have information that a similar provocation is being prepared ... in other
parts of Syria including in the southern Damascus suburbs where they are
planning to again plant some substance and accuse the Syrian authorities of
using (chemical weapons).' He did not offer any proof for that assertion.
Putin also said he will
appeal to the United Nations to investigate last week's chemical attack in
Syria, which claimed 87 lives and prompted Trump's surprise cruise missile
attack.
Russia's foreign
ministry says it hopes for 'productive talks' with U.S. Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson, as he heads to Moscow in his first visit as the top US diplomat.
At the end of the week
three-way talks are then planned in Moscow between the foreign ministers of
allies Russia, Syria and Iran.
The Pentagon revealed on
Saturday night that the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its battle group
had been dispatched to the region for US-South Korea war games.
Last night, a spokesman
for North Korea's foreign ministry said: 'This goes to prove that the U.S.
reckless moves for invading the DPRK have reached a serious phase,' said a
spokesman for the secretive nation's foreign ministry.
'The DPRK is ready to
react to any mode of war desired by the U.S,' he added.
'We will hold the U.S.
wholly accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by its
outrageous actions,' the North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said, adding
that Pyongyang would respond to 'provocateurs' with a 'powerful force of
arms'.
'We will take the
toughest counteraction against the provocateurs in order to defend ourselves by
powerful force of arms,' the foreign ministry spokesman said, according to
KCNA.
The statement from
Pyongyang comes as tensions on the divided peninsula are already high because
of U.S.-South Korea wargames now underway and recent ballistic missile tests by
the North. Pyongyang sees the annual manoeuvres as a dress rehearsal for
invasion, while the North's long-range missile launches are a violation of U.N.
resolutions.
Aircraft carrier Carl
Vinson and its wing of fighter jets were scheduled to make port visits in
Australia but were diverted to waters off North Korea after the country
conducted more missile testing, the Pentagon revealed on Saturday night.
The Chinese army has
reportedly deployed 150,000 troops to the North Korean border to prepare for
pre-emptive attacks after the United States dropped airstrikes on Syria.
President Donald Trump's missile strike on Syria on Friday was
widely interpreted as a warning to North Korea.
And now China, left shocked by the air strikes, has deployed
medical and backup units from the People's Liberation Army forces to the Yalu
River, Korea's Chosun.com reported.
The troops have been
dispatched to handle North Korean refugees and 'unforeseen circumstances', such
as the prospect of preemptive attacks on North Korea, the news agency said.
South Korean acting
President Hwang Kyo-ahn warned of 'greater provocations' by North Korea and
ordered the military to intensify monitoring and to ensure close communication
with the United States.
'It is possible the
North may wage greater provocations such as a nuclear test timed with various
anniversaries including the Supreme People's Assembly,' said Hwang, acting
leader since former president Park Geun-hye was removed amid a graft scandal.
The North convened a
Supreme People's Assembly session on Tuesday, one of its twice-yearly sessions
in which major appointments are announced and national policy goals are
formally approved.
Saturday is the 105th anniversary
of the birth of Kim Il Sung, the country's founding father and grandfather of
current ruler, Kim Jong Un.
A military parade is
expected in the North's capital, Pyongyang, to mark the day. North Korea often
also marks important anniversaries with tests of its nuclear or missile
capabilities in breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad sent a message of congratulations to mark the event, lambasting 'big
powers' for their 'expansionist' policy.
'The friendly two
countries are celebrating this anniversary and, at the same time, conducting a
war against big powers' wild ambition to subject all countries to their
expansionist and dominationist policy and deprive them of their rights to
self-determination,' Russian news agency Tass quote the message as saying.
North Korea and the
rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53
conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to
destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.
Delegates from around
the North have been arriving in Pyongyang ahead of the assembly session. They visited
statues of previous leaders Kim Il Sung and his son, Kim Jong Il, state media
reported.
WHO SUPPORTS WHO IN THE BATTLE
FOR SYRIA?
PRO ASSAD
Russia - Gives military support, condemns the US airstrikes and suspends
deal not to clash mid-air
Iran - Close strategic allies with Syria and has provided significant
support including $8.69billion
North Korea - UN probe found that North Korea was supplying arms to Syria
Iraq - The Iraqi Government provided financial support and transported
supplies
Algeria - Rumours suggest Algerian military aircraft is regularly landing
in Syria
Venezuela - The South American country has shipped tens of millions of
dollars worth of diesel to Syria
Lebanon - Police arrested family after they protested about the Syrian
Government
Belarus - President Alexander Lukashenko supported Moscow's involvement
and offered air strike
Lebanese Hezbollah Party - Involvement has been substantial and has deployed troops since
2012
ANTI ASSAD
US - President Donald Trump launched first airstrikes since six-year
civil war started
UK - Supports US cruise airstrikes as Theresa May said chemical
attack was 'despicable'
France/Germany - Both of the countries today said Assad bears 'sole
responsibility' for US strike
Turkey - Opposed to Assad but objects to Syrian rebels and wants control
of Kurdish area
Canada - Canada gave more than $4.97million to the Syrian opposition in
2013
Saudi Arabia - The Middle East country is the main group to finance the rebels
and has provided a large amount of weapons
Israel - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the first to praise the
US's retaliatory attack, saying he 'fully supports' Donald Trump's decision to
launch the cruise missile attacks
Qatar- It was
reported Qatar gave the Syrian rebels $2.98 billion at the start of the civil
war in 2011
China's top nuclear
envoy arrived in Seoul on Monday for talks on the North Korean threat, as the
United States sent the naval strike group to the region and signalled it may
act to shut down Pyongyang's weapons program.
Speculation of an
imminent nuclear test is brewing as the North marks major anniversaries
including the 105th birthday of its founding leader on Saturday - sometimes
celebrated with a demonstration of military might.
Wu Dawei, China's
Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs, met with his South Korean
counterpart on Monday to discuss the nuclear issue.
The talks come shortly
after Mr Trump hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a summit at which he
pressed Pyongyang's key ally to do more to curb the North's nuclear ambitions.
'(We) are prepared to
chart our own course if this is something China is just unable to coordinate
with us,' US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said after the summit.
He added however that
Beijing had indicated a willingness to act on the issue.
'We need to allow them
time to take actions,' Tillerson said, adding that Washington had no intention
of attempting to remove the regime of Kim Jong-Un.
The meeting between Xi
and Trump came on the heels of yet another missile test by the North, which
fired a medium-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on
Wednesday.
Pyongyang is on a quest
to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a
nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last
year.
 |
| China has deployed medical and backup units from the People's Liberation Army (pictured above) forces to the Yalu River following President Donald Trump's missile strikes on Syria last week |
Trump has previously
threatened unilateral action against the reclusive state, a threat that
appeared more palpable after Thursday's strike on a Syrian airfield following
an apparent chemical attack.
Meanwhile, the United
States has concluded Russia knew in advance of Syria's chemical weapons attack
last week, a senior U.S. official said Monday.
The official said a
drone operated by Russians was flying over a hospital as victims of the attack
were rushing to get treatment.
Hours after the drone
left, a Russian-made fighter jet bombed the hospital in what American officials
believe was an attempt to cover up the usage of chemical weapons.
The official said the
presence of the surveillance drone over the hospital couldn't have been a
coincidence, and that Russia must have known the chemical weapons attack was
coming and that victims were seeking treatment.
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