UN publishes report on North Korea sanctions violations

NEW YORK (Reuters) — After more than a month’s delay due to Chinese objections, the United Nations on Friday published a report on North Korea that says a panel of independent experts is investigating reports of possible North Korean arms deals with Syria and Myanmar.

The 74-page report, which was seen by Reuters last month, says North Korea “continues to actively defy the measures in the (UN sanctions) resolutions.”

The so-called Panel of Experts submitted the report to the UN Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee last month.

UN panel of experts’ sanctions reports are highly sensitive.

China, which is named in the report as a transit hub for illicit North Korean arms-related breaches, has prevented the 15-nation Security Council from publishing past reports, UN envoys have told Reuters.

Last year’s report has never been published, although Reuters saw and reported on it at the time. A similar panel of experts’ report on Iran was published this week as well, despite fears that Russia would suppress it the way China has blocked the North Korea reports.

“The Chinese fi nally agreed to let the report reach the public,” a council diplomat told Reuters.

The report says Pyongyang continues to defy the UN sanctions, though the panel received no new reports of “violations involving transfer of nuclear, other (weapons of mass-destruction)-related or ballistic missile items.”

“Although the (sanctions) have not caused the DPRK (North Korea) to halt its banned activities, they appear to have slowed them and made illicit transactions significantly more difficult and expensive,” the panel’s report said.

One of the cases involving suspected illicit arms trade with Syria was reported to the council’s sanctions committee earlier this year.

Another case cited in the report involved a 2007 shipment of propellant usable for SCUD missiles and other items that could be used for ballistic missiles. The panel had referred to it in last year’s report but added details about a Syrian connection and confirmed it had been transported via China.