ROME - Italy has confirmed the decision to expel the ambassador of North Korea. This was announced by the Foreign Minister, Angelino Alfano, in an interview after the U.N. Security Council Meeting. He declared that Italy has "made a strong decision to stop the accreditation procedure of the ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The ambassador must leave Italy."

 Alfano stated Italy's reasoning as due to North Korea's continued nuclear testing, the most recent missiles being superior in force to what has been previously produced. In the interview, Alfanon explains that the Italian government aims to "understand Pyongyang" (sic).

 He puts forward the view that North Korea's isolation from Italy is inevitable if relations continue in this manner. By contrast, he expressed a wish to continue to maintain a relationship with Kim Jong Un's regime as "it is always useful to maintain a channel of communication."

 The Foreign Minister called on the International community to "continue to place high pressure on the regime." Indeed, it seems apparent that Italy is not alone in it's fears of North Korea's programme. Heather Nauert, from the State Department in the U.S., put forward her view on Twitter that North Korea will not have nuclear weapons.

 She stated that this decision may come from either diplomacy or force, but that it must happen. She warns that whilst diplomatic channels are open to Kim Jong Un for now, "they will not be open forever."

HL