TMCnet News
U.S. rejects all N. Korea proposals on financial sanctions: sources+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)NEW YORK, March 15_(Kyodo) _ The United States rejected all proposals made by North Korea during last week's meeting on financial sanctions against North Korea, diplomatic sources told Kyodo News on Tuesday. U.S. and North Korean government officials had an unofficial meeting in New York on March 7 to discuss U.S. financial sanctions imposed over the North's alleged illicit activities. North Korea is likely to harden its attitude now that the United States has rejected all of its proposals apparently aimed at widening contacts between the two countries, including opening bank accounts with U.S. banks and requesting technical cooperation against counterfeiting. The move could further delay the resumption of six-party talks on the North's nuclear development program, which also involve China, Japan, South Korea and Russia. The talks have been stalled since November. The sources said North Korea proposed to establish a joint U.S.-North Korea consultative body to discuss matters related to what Washington calls law enforcement actions against the North and open bank accounts with U.S. banks. It also asked the United States to lift sanctions against the Macao-based Banco Delta Asia and to offer technical help in distinguishing counterfeit currencies, the sources added. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice clearly expressed an intention Friday to refuse the proposal to set up a joint consultative body on the U.S. law enforcement measures. The U.S. administration later decided to reject the rest of the proposals after the State Department, the Pentagon and other government agencies involved in national security affairs examined them, the sources said. The U.S. government agencies are fully united on their decision to reject North Korea's proposals, the sources said. The sources said the United States told North Korea that there are no legal restrictions on opening U.S. bank accounts but that U.S. banks do not want to open bank accounts that could be used for money-laundering and other illicit activities. The United States also told North Korea that the sanctions against Banco Delta Asia are a matter that should be resolved by North Korea itself by putting an end to its involvement in illegal activities, according to the sources. On technical cooperation against counterfeiting, the United States rejected the proposal because such a technology could leak outside North Korea, the sources said. |