U.S. envoy to discuss North Korea sanctions with Russia

Posted by Mc Parry on July 30th, 2009 No Comments Printer-Friendly

WASHINGTON — A US envoy is to visit Moscow next week and then Asian capitals in mid-August as part of efforts to coordinate implementation of UN sanctions against North Korea, an official said Wednesday.

Philip S. Goldberg

Ambassador Philip Goldberg will leave Monday for Moscow, a partner with the United States in the suspended six-country negotiations to scrap North Korea’s weapons-grade nuclear programs, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said.

Leading an inter-agency delegation, he “will meet with Russian foreign ministry counterparts and financial officials to coordinate our efforts on the implementation” of UN Security Council sanctions.

UN Security Council Resolution 1874, adopted in response to North Korea’s nuclear test on May 25, calls for beefed up inspections of air, sea and land shipments going to and from North Korea, and an expanded arms embargo.

Under the resolution, five North Korean individuals and five Pyongyang entities were added to a sanctions blacklist.

Kelly added that Goldberg “plans to return to Asia with an inter-agency delegation sometime in mid-August,” but said he would provide more details later about his itinerary and agenda.

In June, on his first tour aimed at carrying out the sanctions, Goldberg visited Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing, which along with Moscow and Washington took part in the six-party nuclear disarmament negotiations with Pyongyang.

North Korea withdrew from the negotiations after the United Nations censured its long-range missile test in April. The showdown with the international community took another turn for the worse with the nuclear test.

Goldberg later visited Kuala Lumpur, which at the time called on the United States to produce evidence on media allegations that a Malaysian bank was channelling weapons payments to North Korea.

Goldberg meanwhile was due in New York on Thursday to brief members of a UN sanctions committee on efforts to implement the latest sanctions, Kelly added. He said there were no plans for Goldberg to meet with representatives of the North Korean mission to the United Nations. (AFP)