U.S. delegation in Middle East on N. Korea sanctions implementation: State Dept.

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. delegation is traveling to the United Arab
Emirates and Egypt to discuss implementation of U.N. sanctions on North Korea for
its nuclear and missile tests, the State Department said Friday.

"Ambassador Phil Goldberg, our coordinator for implementation of U.N. Security
Council Resolution 1874, is leading an interagency delegation which includes
Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary Danny Glaser," spokesman Ian Kelly said.
"They were in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, October 1st, with meetings
with Emirati officials regarding implementation of sanctions on North Korea as
called for in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874."
Resolution 1874 was adopted after North Korea's second nuclear test in May, after
one in 2006, to call for an overall arms embargo and financial sanctions and
interdiction of cargo on the high seas to prevent the proliferation of nuclear
weapons, missiles and other weapons of mass destruction.
Kelly said that the U.S. delegation will also travel to Cairo Sunday to meet with
Egyptian officials on implementation of the North Korea sanctions before
returning to Washington Monday.
"We've long been concerned about North Korea's proliferation activities in the
Middle East, so this is part of that, and this is part of his overall effort to
ensure that the -- that this U.N. Security Council resolution and other relevant
resolutions are implemented," the spokesman said, referring to Goldberg.
Kelly dismissed the allegation that the UAE and Egypt are problem states
concerning North Korea's nuclear and missile proliferation, saying, "Well, not
necessarily."
"I think that these are countries that can help us identify areas where we can
deal with this problem of proliferation from North Korea," the spokesman said.
"He will continue to meet with partners, not only in the Middle East, but also,
of course, in Asia."
North Korea has long been suspected of being behind nuclear and missile
proliferation in Syria, Iran, Pakistan and several other countries in the Middle
East.
The UAE in July seized a Bahamian-flagged ship carrying North Korean
rocket-propelled grenades and other conventional weapons labeled as machine
parts, the first seizure of its kind that effectively intercepted a North Korean
arms shipment since the Security Council adopted Resolution 1874 in June after
North Korea's nuclear test in May.
India seized a North Korean ship off its coast in early August only to find no
weapons aboard.
In late June, a North Korean cargo ship, possibly on its way to Myanmar, returned
home after being closely chased by U.S. Navy vessels.
Goldberg recently concluded an Asian tour, including stops in Seoul and Tokyo,
and pledged to push ahead with financial and other sanctions against the
cash-strapped North. Arms sales are one of North Korea's major sources of
revenue.
Despite a series of conciliatory gestures by the North to reach out to the
outside world after months of provocations, the U.S. has said it will continue to
observe U.N. sanctions, and has yet to respond to Pyongyang's call for bilateral
talks.
North Korea has said it will boycott the six-party talks on its denuclearization
permanently due to the U.N. sanctions, but recently invited Stephen Bosworth,
U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, to Pyongyang.
U.S. officials said they will soon make a decision on whether to send Bosworth to
Pyongyang to persuade the North to come back to the six-party talks, although
they pledged not to try to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue through
bilateral talks.
Any decision will likely be made after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visits
Pyongyang early next week on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of
normalization of Chinese-North Korean ties. There are reports that North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il may make an important announcement on the six-party talks at
that time.
Bosworth said Tuesday that the Barack Obama administration does not have a
military option on the table regarding North Korea's denuclearization.
"There is no military solution," he said. "Containment does not give long-term
results. Negotiations are the way forward."
hdh@yna.co.kr
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