BERLIN, August 23. /TASS/. There still are possibilities to exert diplomatic pressure on North Korea, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said addressing a conference arranged by the Handelsblatt daily in Berlin on Wednesday.
"I don’t see a military solution for North Korea, I believe it wrong and I am confident that diplomatic measures have not been used to the fullest yet," she said.
According to Merkel, China, Japan and South Korea should be interested in "putting such a man [North Korea’s leader] in his place." "I believe that the global community will manage to do that without military interference," she stressed.
The German chancellor pointed out that the United States had been making some diplomatic efforts apart from using bellicose rhetoric. When speaking about the European Union’s role in resolving the crisis, Merkel stated that the European countries should play a more active role in the process.
Berlin will not automatically support Washington in the event of military confrontation between the US and North Korea:
"To answer it clearly, no, we will not support it automatically," the German chancellor pointed out.
The situation on the Korean Peninsula has remained extremely tense amid Pyongyang’s vigorous efforts to develop its nuclear and missile program. In July, North Korea tested ballistic missiles twice, which sparked criticism from the US, Japan and South Korea. Washington has repeatedly stated that it does not rule out any options to solve the North Korean problem, including the military one.