NZ, Australia send aircraft to help enforce sanctions
WELLINGTON: Australia and New Zealand are deploying three maritime patrol aircraft to Japan to help with efforts to enforce United Nations sanctions against North Korea.
Australia will add two AP3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft to conduct maritime surveillance to an existing aircraft deployed earlier in the year, Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said in a statement.
New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said the Royal New Zealand Air Force deployed a P3K2 Orion to carry out patrols of international waters in North Asia for signs of vessels undertaking activities that break UN sanctions against North Korea, including shiptoship transfers.
‘‘We welcome the recent dialogue North Korea has had with the United States and South Korea.
‘‘However, until such time as North Korea abides by its international obligations, full implementation of the United Nations Security Council sanctions resolutions will be essential,’’ Mr Peters said.
The aircraft would be based at Kadena Air Base in Japan,.
The United States has been pressuring North Korea through sanctions to give up its nuclear weapons programme and in August penalised two Russian shipping companies and six vessels it said were involved in the transfer of refined petroleum products to North Korean vessels.
The United States and North Korea are involved in talks intended to ease tensions between them, and US President Donald Trump met North Korea’s leader Kim Jongun in June.
Since then relations have cooled and a planned visit by the top US diplomat to North Korea was scrapped last week, Mr Trump saying insufficient progress towards denuclearisation had been made.
Australia’s move was a ‘‘continuation’’ of the country’s ‘‘strong stand to deter and disrupt illicit trade and sanctions evasion activities by North Korea and its associated networks’’, Mr Pyne said. — Reuters