SEOUL, March 11. /ITAR-TASS/. North Korea has developed the scope of measures bypassing UN sanctions. Pyongyang may use its foreign diplomatic offices for illegal deals on purchase of weapons, British news agency Reuters reported on Tuesday with the reference to a UN report.
For instance, the organization's report noted that North Korean embassies in Cuba and Singapore could have participated in delivering fighters and parts of missiles to North Korea. To meet its financial liabilities under these agreements, Pyongyang may use sophisticated financial schemes for purchases of foreign weapons that will complicate UN control over observance of sanctions against the country.
Notably, in July 2013, a North Korean ship was detained for an attempt to deliver an undeclared batch of weapons from Cuba through the Panama Canal. Then Panamanian authorities asked the UN to make a detailed inspection of the ship to determine whether the UN Security Council resolutions, that ban exporting any weapons to North Korea and importing them from the country, were violated in the case.
On March 7, 2013, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution that toughens sanctions against North Korea in retaliation to a nuclear weapon test conducted in the country. Sanctions envisaged in the document sought to curb illegal activity of North Korean diplomats and banks which were banned from opening their offices in other countries. Notably, UN member-states agreed to block all financial flows which can promote nuclear or missile programs in North Korea. The resolution focused on a ban on shipping big sums of cash across the border as this issue was particularly topical, according to diplomats, because North Korean diplomats practiced shipping of money across the border more and more frequently.
The resolution also noted the need to toughen control over cargoes related to North Korea that should have been checked compulsorily if reliable information was obtained that they contained banned materials and equipment.
According to the authors of the resolution, these measures are aimed at forcing North Korea to abandon the development of nuclear weapons and missiles and to launch rapprochement with the world community.