UN-Truth

Where have we heard this before?

The Associated Press is reporting that “North Korea on Saturday sent a letter to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, inviting inspectors to the country to discuss procedures for shutting down its main nuclear reactor, state media reported. The letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency noted “that a working-level delegation of the IAEA has been invited to visit (North Korea) as it is confirmed that the process of de-freezing the funds of (North Korea) at the Banco Delta Asia in Macau has reached its final phase,” the North’s Korean Central News Agency reported. The inspectors were invited for “discussions of the procedures of the IAEA’s verification and monitoring of” shutting down its Yongbyon reactor, the report said. North Korea had refused to act on its February pledge to disarm until it got access to $25 million once frozen in a U.S.-blacklisted Macau bank. The U.S. accused Banco Delta Asia of helping North Korea’s government pass fake $100 bills and launder money…”
Read news story here.

Earlier Saturday, AP had reported that “North Korean funds that have held up a nuclear disarmament pact were in Russia on Saturday but technical problems were delaying final transfer to the country’s accounts there, U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill said…’I heard that the money was transferred, it’s in Russia, and they’re having some technical problems in getting it to the bank where the actual North Korean accounts are’, said Hill, who added that the next round of six-party nuclear disarmament talks could be held in early July. The envoy did not provide details of the technical problem, which he said the U.S. side first learned about from the North Koreans. North Korea has refused to act on its February pledge to shut down its nuclear reactor until it gets access to $25 million once frozen in a U.S.-blacklisted Macau bank. On Thursday, Macau’s chief finance official said the money had been transferred from the bank, but it remained unclear if the entire amount had moved or whether it reached its destination. Officials knowledgeable about the transfer have said more than $23 million was involved but that the transaction was not complete …
After the North Koreans receive the funds, the next round of talks are expected to convene in China in early July.
Read this news dispatch here.

China Matters says that the plan was to remit the North Korean funds out of Banco Delta Asia through a Russian bank and the Federal Reserve…”there are a lot of allegations of North Korean criminal behavior but as far as I know nobodyÂ’s gotten around to convicting a North Korean entity or individual for an underlying crime that would establish the legal basis for classifying the handling of the BDA funds as “money laundering””.

The U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at the U.S. State Dept briefing on Friday that: “Certainly, we’re going to be looking for the North Koreans to implement the February 13th agreement. The other five parties will look to hold up their end of the bargain. And I think if we can get some momentum going here, we will have another round of the six-party talks. We may even use another meeting to try to generate that momentum … But the important thing here is that the North Koreans, as well as the five, get working on the February 13th agreement and we’ll be looking to the North Koreans to see what actions they take once this financial transaction has been completed”…

Filed under: North Korea