N Korea arms seizure confirmed
2010-02-26 13:19
Johannesburg - South Africa on Friday confirmed that it had reported to the UN Security Council the seizure of North Korean arms destined for Congo, in violation of UN sanctions.
A statement from the foreign ministry "confirms reporting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ship to the United Nations".
"The South African government has taken note of media interest and reports on the search and seizure of military equipment on board a vessel from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) destined for the Republic of Congo," it said.
"The South Africa government wishes to place on record that the shipment of this nature is in contravention of the UN resolutions... which prohibit the supply, sale, transfer or export of, inter alia, all arms and related material from the DPRK," it added.
Spare parts for tanks
"The government will, as the member of the United Nations, continue to contribute to efforts to prevent the production and proliferation of illicit weapons that could endanger the lives of world citizens and create conditions of insecurity and instability in some regions of the world."
The statement gave no details about the shipment, but a diplomat at the United Nations said this week that South Africa on Monday informed a Security Council panel that spare parts for North Korean tanks were seized last November.
Security Council Resolution 1874, which was imposed last June in the wake of North Korea's underground nuclear test, bans all North Korean arms exports and authorises UN member states to inspect North Korean cargo on land, sea, and air.
