UN sanctions on DPRK working: US envoy

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-31 14:26

UNITED NATIONS: Commitment from various countries to implementing the United Nations (UN) Security Council's further sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is strong and unified, US coordinator for implementing the UN sanctions said here Thursday.

"The resolution brings new and unprecedented measures that are at our disposal to implement," Ambassador Philip Goldberg said after meeting with the UN sanctions committee.

"But I also found that the commitment to implementation is very strong and very unified," he said. Security Council Resolution 1874, adopted in June in response to the DPRK's May 25 nuclear test, expanded an arms embargo and authorized inspections of air, sea and land shipments going to and from the DPRK.

There are already signs that the resolution is working, said Goldberg, noting that the cargo ship Kang Nam, the first DPRK ship to be inspected under the new UN resolution, returned to the DPRK last month after Myanmar persuaded it to return home.

Part of the success in implementing Resolution 1874, as well as Resolution 1718, is due to the high level coordination among UN member states, said Goldberg.

"There is a unity of view, a singleness of purpose in implementing these resolutions," said Goldberg, who also highlighted cooperation from the Chinese government.

"We had further talks this week in Washington during the (China-US) Strategic and Economic Dialogue," said Goldberg.

"It is certainly our intentions to work with all member states but especially with those that can bring results in terms of implementation," he said.

To continue effective implementation, Goldberg urged countries to be aware of financial institutions with ties to the DPRK and stressed that sharing information plays a pivotal role in identifying suspect transactions.

The Obama administration has advised US banks to have "a heightened sense of caution" about activities and entities, on and off the sanctions list, that have ties to the DPRK, he added.

Resolution 1874 added five DPRK individuals and five entities to the sanctions list, which are subject to asset freezes and travel bans.

Goldberg's visit to the UN is part of US efforts to coordinate implementation of UN sanctions against the DPRK.

On Monday, he will leave for Moscow to meet with Russian foreign ministry and financial officials and in mid-August he is expected to return to Asia for a new round of consultations.