US vows to track suspect ships

2009-07-06 17:05

Seoul - The US chief of naval operations vowed on Monday to keep tracking North Korean ships suspected of carrying weapons banned under a United Nations resolution.

"As circumstances arise in the future, we will continue to support the resolution and we will conduct operations in support of that," Admiral Gary Roughead told reporters after talks with South Korean military officials.

His comments came as a North Korean ship, which was tracked by the US navy, headed home after aborting its voyage. South Korean military officials said the Kang Nam 1 appeared to have entered North Korean waters.

"I think what recently happened with the Kang Nam is also a very effective way of stopping that proliferation, and so we saw that ship go back," Roughead said.

The Kang Nam 1, which left North Korea on June 17, was originally reported to be bound for Myanmar. It changed course after being tailed by US warships.

It was the first North Korean ship to be tracked under new UN sanctions imposed on the hardline communist country on June 12 following its nuclear test in May.

Under the measures UN member states are expected to inspect ships they believe may be carrying banned weapons shipments to or from the North.

Pyongyang has responded defiantly, vowing to build more nuclear bombs and to hit back against any attempt to search its vessels. On Saturday it test-fired seven missiles in an apparent show of military strength.

Radio Free Asia, in a report last week, said Myanmar's junta had warned North Korea that it would inspect the ship's cargo and ban it from entering port if it carried contraband.

Roughead declined to comment on how his forces would react if North Korean ships reacted violently, because it could provide Pyongyang "an undue advantage" in strategic information.

"I think it is incumbent on all who sail on the seas to do all they can to minimise events like that," he said. "Our commanding officers and sailors are trained and exercised to be able to control events and situations."

The admiral also denounced North Korea's ballistic missile launches as "very unhelpful".

"I think they were very unhelpful, and clearly counter to the desires of the international community for a peaceful and stable region," he said.

- SAPA