Cuba confirms arms on seized N. Korean ship

By C. J. Refsland on July 17, 2013 • ( 0 )

Cuba confirmed on Tuesday evening that a North Korean freighter seized in Panama was loaded with 240 tonnes of “obsolete defensive weaponry,” including rockets, fighter jets and other arms, as well as about 10,000 tonnes of sugar.

The ship was first stopped as it headed into the Panama Canal last Wednesday. Following a tense five-day standoff, authorities arrested the Chong Chon Gang’s 35-member crew on Monday after boarding the ship and discovering undeclared missile-shaped objects – a potential violation of UN sanctions linked to North Korea’s nuclear programme. The raid turned violent as the freighter’s captain attempted to slit his own throat with a knife.

“We found containers which presumably contain sophisticated missile equipment. That is not allowed. The Panama canal is a canal of peace, not war,” Panama’s President Ricardo Martinelli told local radio on Tuesday.

Cuba’s Foreign Ministry said the weapons were being sent back to North Korea for repair and included two anti-aircraft missile batteries, nine disassembled rockets, two MiG-21 fighter jets, and 15 MiG-21 engines, all Soviet-era military weaponry built in the middle of the last century.

In the statement, which was read out on the state TV evening news, Cuba said the weaponry was all required “to maintain our defensive capacity to preserve national sovereignty.” It added, “Cuba maintains its commitment to peace including nuclear disarmament and international law.”

Cuba still has strong ties with North Korea, which include military and economic cooperation.

A high-level North Korean military delegation visited Cuba on July 1, according to official Cuban media reports.

A photo posted on Martinelli’s Twitter page showed a long, green missile-shaped object with a tapering, conical end inside the ship, which he said was bound for North Korea. A security expert said pictures showed radar systems for Vietnam-era, Soviet-made surface-to-air missiles.

The US State Department lauded Panama’s decision to raid the ship, which it said had a history of involvement in drug smuggling, and warned the vessel would be violating United Nations Security Council resolutions by shipping arms. The United Nations has imposed a raft of sanctions on North Korea, including strict regulations on arms shipments, for flouting measures aimed at curbing its nuclear weapons program.

All 35 members of the crew of the ship, which is called Chong Chon Gang, were arrested after resisting Panamanian orders and are now being questioned at Fort Sherman, a former U.S. Army Base on the Atlantic end of the Panama Canal, the official added.

FRANCE 24.