International Reactions To The 2006 North Korean Nuclear Test - South America

South America

• Argentina: César Mayoral, Argentine ambassador to the United Nations, issued a strong condemnation of the nuclear test, and urged the Security Council to "act firmly against the North Korean government and its intentions to obtain weapons of mass destruction". It is worth mentioning that, while Argentina supports the development of nuclear energy for peaceful means, the country is also a strong advocate of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and other non-proliferation efforts worldwide.
• Brazil: The Brazilian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, in its communication to the press, expressed that the Brazilian Government vehemently condemns North Korea's nuclear test, urges the country to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and return to the six-party talks as soon as possible to solve the nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsula.
• Chile: Chile's Ministry for Foreign Affairs has said, through an official press communicate, that this nuclear test represents "a serious attack against regional and worldwide stability" as well as "a violation of international community's efforts to achieve denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula". Chilean government has officially requested North Korea to refrain from performing these tests since they are "an unnecessary provocation that disrupts world peace and safety".
• Colombia: The Government of Colombia issued a statement through the Ministry of Exterior Relations in which it condemned the tests and called upon the DPRK government to observe the principles of peaceful coexistence found in the Charter of the United Nations and to return to the Six-Party Talks.
• Ecuador: The Foreign Ministry of Ecuador laments North Korea's nuclear test and called upon that country to respect the widely held international moratorium on nuclear testing.
• Peru:The government criticized that the test took place at the margin of international regulations of nonproliferation and verification and that it did so in spite of the calls conducted by the international community against the North Korean government. According to an official notice issued by the Peruvian ministry of foreign affairs, "This is a serious event, that violates the effective moratorium for nuclear tests, constitutes a threat to international peace and security and aggravates the tensions in the Korean Peninsula and in the Northeastern Pacific." The note also remarked that, "as a state member of the Security Council, the Government of Peru considers that, in accordance with the Chart of the United Nations, this situation must be examined through the existing multilateral mechanisms". Peru urged North Korea to unconditionally return to the Six-Party Talks and to suspend all activity related to its nuclear program and also reiterated its "firm commitment with non-proliferation efforts, and the suitable mechanisms for the promotion of the strategic stability, international peace and security".
• Uruguay: According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Relations, the Eastern Republic of Uruguay "rejects" and "deplores" North Korea's nuclear test, calling it a threat to peace in Northeast Asia and insisted that the North Korean government return to negotiations.
• Venezuela: Venezuela's foreign minister, Nicolas Maduro told state television, "We condemn all nuclear tests because of the immense damage it does to the environment, to life." Maduro also added, "We are making an effort in all the world's scenarios so that those countries that have nuclear weapons begin progressively eliminating them." The report reproducing the aforementioned official statement notes that while Venezuela supports a worldwide ban on nuclear weapons, at the same time they believe that countries should be free to pursue nuclear energy peacefully."