Shipment could violate terms of UN sanctions on arms sales

Cuba announced on Tuesday that weapons found on a ship of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea close to the Panama Canal were "obsolete" Soviet-era arms, which the island country had sent to Pyongyang for repair.

The declaration came a day after Panama said it had found military equipment, which it believed to be missiles, after impounding the ship and conducting a drugs search.

Panama earlier on Tuesday urged UN inspectors to scrutinize the cargo, which could constitute a violation of the strict arms sanctions imposed on the DPRK over its nuclear program.

However Cuba claimed the shipment as its own, with the foreign ministry listing 240 metric tons of "obsolete defensive weapons", including two anti-aircraft missile systems as being on board.

There were also "nine missiles in parts and spares" various MiG-21 aircraft parts and 15 plane motors, "all of it manufactured in the mid-20th century" and "to be repaired and returned to Cuba".

"The agreements subscribed by Cuba in this field are supported by the need to maintain our defensive capacity in order to preserve national sovereignty," the ministry said in an English-language statement.

It concluded by saying that Havana remains "unwavering" in its commitment to international law, peace and nuclear disarmament.

Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli tweeted a photo of the haul, which experts identified as an aging Soviet-built radar control system for surface-to-air missiles.

Martinelli's government said the munitions were hidden in a shipment of 100,000 kilograms of bagged sugar aboard the DPRK-flagged Chong Chon Gang.

Panamanian Security Minister Jose Raul Mulino told RPC radio that the affair now is a matter for UN investigators.

The United States hailed the discovery.

"We stand ready to cooperate with Panama should they request our assistance," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said, reiterating that any shipments or "arms or related material" would violate several Security Council resolutions.

The magazine IHS Jane's Defence Weekly said Tuesday that the photo tweeted by Martinelli appeared to show an "RSN-75 'Fan Song' fire-control radar system".

The weapons were developed in 1957 and frequently used during the Vietnam War.

Panamanian officials said on Monday that the crew resisted the search last Friday, and that the ship's captain attempted to commit suicide after the vessel was stopped.

It was sailing from Cuba toward the canal with a crew of about 35 and was stopped by drug enforcement officials and taken into port in Manzanillo.

A Panamanian government spokesman said an examination of the ship by weapons specialists may take as long as a week.

The vessel was being held in a restricted zone, and the crew had been detained, officials said. So far, no drugs have been found on board.

The DPRK has not commented on the incident.

AFP-AP

(China Daily 07/18/2013 page12)