Leaked UN report says North Korea ignoring sanctions, distributing nuclear and missile technology
May 29th, 2010 - 1:05 am ICT by BNO NewsUNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) – Worldwide efforts to avoid a nuclear disaster in the Korean peninsula have been stepped up after a United Nations (UN) report was leaked, claiming that North Korea is ignoring UN sanctions and utilizing front companies to export nuclear and missile technology to Iran, Syria, and Burma, the Guardian newspaper reported on Friday.
The report was led by a panel that oversees sanctions imposed after Pyongyang tested nuclear weapons in 2006 and 2009, and stated that the North Korean government was using cover companies and criminal networks all over the globe to distribute nuclear technology. The leaked report came only hours before the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, arrived in South Korea for a visit, no doubt entirely encompassed with the increasing tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang.
At the meeting, Wen indicated that China would not be a safe-haven for anyone involved in the sinking of the South Korean naval vessel in March, an incident which resulted in the death of 46 South Korean soldiers.
However, he added that China has not yet come to the conclusion that North Korea is responsible, with Pyongyang reverently denying involvement, despite overwhelming international consensus.
Analysts indicated that even though Beijing is unlikely to support any UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea, they may choose to abstain on the issues, as opposed to using their veto.
The UN report, leaked to journalists in New York, indicated that UN bans on nuclear and missile technology were having an effect. However, it admitted that the North had found ways to go around the sanctions, using shell companies and masking techniques. Pyongyang is suspected of utilizing global criminal networks to distribute “illicit and smuggled cargoes”, which more than likely include parts for weapons of mass destruction.
Relations between the two Koreas have reached a stand-off lately, with both sides cutting ties. South Korea froze all trade with their Northern counterpart and resumed propaganda broadcasts across the border, while Pyongyang expelled South Korean officials from a joint industrial undertaking, banning South Korean airplanes from its airspace, and threatened to attack any South Korean vessel entering its waters.
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Tags: bno, chinese premier wen jiabao, consensus analysts, criminal networks, international consensus, korean government, korean peninsula, missile technology, naval vessel, nuclear disaster, nuclear weapons, premier wen jiabao, pyongyang, security council resolutions, shell companies, south korean soldiers, un security council, un security council resolutions, weapons of mass destruction, worldwide efforts