North Korea twice attempted to ship material to Syria's chemical weapons agency, UN experts say
Syrians run from the shelling in Damascus on August 22
North Koreahas
twice been caught attempting to ship material to Syria’s chemical
weapons agency in the past six months, according to a confidential UN
report prepared by a panel of experts.
Two unnamed countries intercepted the shipments. Their contents were not disclosed in the 37-page report.
But the shipments were destined for what are believed to be front companies for Syria's Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC) - a Syrian government agency which has overseen the country's chemical weapons programme since the 1970s.
The shipments were sent by KOMID, the Korea Mining
Development Trading Corporation – an organisation blacklisted by the UN
security council in 2009, and described as Pyongyang's key arms dealer
and exporter of equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional
weapons.
In March 2016 the council also blacklisted two KOMID representatives in Syria.
Seoul metro employees take part in a drill on August 22
"The panel is investigating reported prohibited chemical,
ballistic missile and conventional arms cooperation between Syria and
the DPRK (North Korea)," the experts wrote in the report, which was
submitted to the security council earlier this month and obtained by
Reuters on Monday.
"Two member states interdicted shipments destined for Syria.
“Another Member state informed the panel that it had reasons
to believe that the goods were part of a KOMID contract with Syria."
The
UN experts said activities between Syria and North Korea they were
investigating included cooperation on Syrian Scud missile programmes and
maintenance and repair of Syrian surface-to-air missiles air defence
systems.
Syria agreed to destroy its chemical weapons in 2013 under a
deal brokered by Russia and the United States. However, diplomats and
weapons inspectors suspect Syria may have secretly maintained or
developed a new chemical weapons capability.
The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons, but has twice been suspected of carrying out sarin nerve gas attacks, as well as chlorine attacks.
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