A US House of representatives bill has set off a Russian Senator. A Chairman of the Russian upper house of parliament’s international committee warns that the new bill will amount to a ‘declaration of war.’
“This bill, I hope will never be implemented because its implementation envisions a scenario of power with forced inspections of all vessels by US warships,” Konstantin Kosachev said Friday.
The Senators statements follow the reported passage on Thursday of a House bill enhancing sanctions against North Korea. The Bill includes language that establishes “inspection authorities.”
The bill outlines the inspection authorities over Chinese, Iranian, Syrian and Russian ports. The latter include the ports of Nakhodka, Vanino and Vladivostok.
“Such a power scenario is beyond comprehension, because it means a declaration of war,” Kosachev underscored.
Quotes were originally posted to Sputnik News.
Updates
The comment came shortly after the US Congress approved the bill with additional sanctions against North Korea, allowing for the possible establishment of US control over seaports and sea routes in the Far East, including the Russian ports of Vanino, Nakhodka and Vladivostok.
The bill also expands the powers of the president of the United States to impose sanctions against individuals who violate certain UN Security Council resolutions.
The bill has to be passed by the US Senate and signed by the US president himself to come into force, and Kosachev expressed hope that this would never happen.
The senator emphasized that no one had given the United States official powers to enforce the UN Security Council resolution on North Korea, and said that Washington is trying to establish the primacy of US laws over international law.
Russian lower house lawmakers also described the fresh US motion as a threat to global security, warning that Russia would be forced to undertake reciprocal measures if the bill passed into law.
The deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee for Defense and Security, Frants Klintsevich, said that the possibility of external control over Russian sea ports was out of the question, but the mere fact that US lawmakers were discussing the proposal was definitely a hostile act.
He added that it was extremely unlikely that the US motion would force North Korea to change its course.
“What immediately draws attention is the list of nations where US congressmen want to have special control over sea ports,” he said. “These are Russia, China, Iran and Syria. The United States is again trying to expand its jurisdiction all over the globe. It is as if they were telling Russia, China, Iran and Syria that these nations are suspects in crime, which is nonsense, according to international law.” – Read More