UN supports Panama over seizing North Korean ship

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised Panama for seizing the North Korean cargo ship which violated a U.N. arms embargo on North Korea by carrying "10 tons of sugar and 240 tons of weapons made in Soviets period." UN statement noted that UN chief Ban follows the developments in regards to the vessel which had been seized on account of carrying "undeclared military equipment" to North Korea. The statement underscored, "Secretary General commends the action taken by Panama in full conformity with its obligations under the relevant Security Council resolutions." “The Secretary-General awaits the outcome of the investigation into the matter in question and is sure the (North Korea) Security Council Sanctions Committee will promptly address it,” the UN statement said. Earlier on Wednesday, the Cuban government made a statement about the ship which had been seized on account of carrying "undeclared military equipment". "The ship on its return from Cuba carried 240 tons of weapons which consisted of two Volga and Pechora anti-aircraft missile systems, nine missiles, two Mig-21 Bis and 15 engines for those airplanes," said the government.

The United Nations (UN) Security Council has imposed four rounds of increasingly tougher sanctions against North Korea since its first nuclear test in 2006. According to the sanctions, all UN member states are prohibited from directly or indirectly supplying, selling or transferring all arms, missiles or missile systems and the equipment and technology to make them to North Korea, with the exception of small arms and light weapons.