Panama: UN Report Finds NKorean Ship Violated Sanctions

Panama says United Nations experts
have determined Cuban weapons seized
from a North Korean cargo ship in the
Panama Canal were a violation of U.N.
sanctions.

The Panamanian government based its
conclusion Wednesday on a preliminary
report by U.N. experts who recently
finished inspecting the cargo seized last
month.
Panama did not release the report, but
said it concluded "without a doubt" that
the North Korean ship violated a U.N.
ban on the transfer of arms to North
Korea.

Cuba says it was sending the weapons,
which it referred to as "obsolete," to
Pyongyang to be repaired and returned
to Havana. The weapons included two
Soviet MiG-21 fighter jets, 15 MiG-21
motors, and nine anti-aircraft missiles.
Panamanian authorities stopped the
ship just outside the canal on suspicion
of carrying drugs. Upon inspection, they
found the undeclared weapons hiding
under thousands of bags of sugar.

The 35 North Korean sailors on board
were charged with trying to ship
undeclared weapons through the
Panama Canal. They remain detained at
a former U.S. military base in Panama.
Panama on Wednesday said the U.N.
report justified its actions in stopping
the ship, seizing the weapons, and
detaining the sailors.

A U.S.-based research group this week
said the weapons shipments is likely
largely than Cuba acknowledged. The
38-North group said it was unlikely
many of the weapons were headed to
North Korea for repair, since pictures
appear to show some of them in their
original packaging.

The U.N. has yet to announce what
action it will take in response to the
weapons seizure.
North Korea is subject to an arms
embargo in response to its nuclear and
missile programs.

See photo