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| Panama Says It Will Release Most From Ship to North Korea | |
| (2 days later) | |
| The authorities in Panama said Monday that they would release 33 of the 35 North Korean crew members of a rusting freighter impounded more than three months ago for carrying a secret stash of Soviet-era Cuban military gear hidden under bags of brown sugar. | The authorities in Panama said Monday that they would release 33 of the 35 North Korean crew members of a rusting freighter impounded more than three months ago for carrying a secret stash of Soviet-era Cuban military gear hidden under bags of brown sugar. |
| Neither the captain, who tried to slit his throat when the Panamanian marine police boarded the vessel, nor the captain’s aide is free to go, said a top official at Panama’s Foreign Ministry. The official, who spoke by telephone on the condition of anonymity because of ministry policy, said the two North Koreans had not cooperated and may still face criminal charges. | Neither the captain, who tried to slit his throat when the Panamanian marine police boarded the vessel, nor the captain’s aide is free to go, said a top official at Panama’s Foreign Ministry. The official, who spoke by telephone on the condition of anonymity because of ministry policy, said the two North Koreans had not cooperated and may still face criminal charges. |
| The Foreign Ministry official said that the other crew members had cooperated, and that all of them had asserted that they had no idea the vessel was carrying military cargo. Two North Korean diplomats have been granted visas, the official said, to travel to Panama and to complete arrangements for those crew members to leave the country. | The Foreign Ministry official said that the other crew members had cooperated, and that all of them had asserted that they had no idea the vessel was carrying military cargo. Two North Korean diplomats have been granted visas, the official said, to travel to Panama and to complete arrangements for those crew members to leave the country. |
| The July seizure of the freighter, the 450-foot Chong Chon Gang, near the Panama Canal caused a spat between Panama and North Korea and Cuba, one of the few countries that enjoy cordial relations with the isolated North Korean government. The seizure shed light on the clandestine maritime trading practices of North Korea, hobbled by United Nations sanctions over its nuclear weapons and proliferation activities. | The July seizure of the freighter, the 450-foot Chong Chon Gang, near the Panama Canal caused a spat between Panama and North Korea and Cuba, one of the few countries that enjoy cordial relations with the isolated North Korean government. The seizure shed light on the clandestine maritime trading practices of North Korea, hobbled by United Nations sanctions over its nuclear weapons and proliferation activities. |
| The vessel’s crew, armed with sticks, tried to resist the Panamanian boarding party and disabled the cranes used to unload the cargo hold, piled high with 200,000 bags of sugar. Underneath, the Panamanians found 2 disassembled MIG jets, 15 MIG engines and 9 antiaircraft missiles. The Cubans acknowledged the military cargo was theirs and said they had been shipping it to North Korea for maintenance. | The vessel’s crew, armed with sticks, tried to resist the Panamanian boarding party and disabled the cranes used to unload the cargo hold, piled high with 200,000 bags of sugar. Underneath, the Panamanians found 2 disassembled MIG jets, 15 MIG engines and 9 antiaircraft missiles. The Cubans acknowledged the military cargo was theirs and said they had been shipping it to North Korea for maintenance. |
| But the Foreign Ministry official said the parts were in “mint condition,” suggesting that they had been intended for North Korea’s use. The official also said Panama and Cuba had not discussed the military cargo, which remains impounded. | But the Foreign Ministry official said the parts were in “mint condition,” suggesting that they had been intended for North Korea’s use. The official also said Panama and Cuba had not discussed the military cargo, which remains impounded. |
| It was unclear what would happen to the vessel. The Panamanian official said the vessel was “in pretty bad shape after its very own crew damaged it when they saw the police coming.” | It was unclear what would happen to the vessel. The Panamanian official said the vessel was “in pretty bad shape after its very own crew damaged it when they saw the police coming.” |
| A committee of the United Nations Security Council, which oversees the sanctions on North Korea, sent investigators to Panama in August to determine whether the impounded cargo had violated any provisions. Jacques Flies, a spokesman for the Luxembourg Mission to the United Nations, which leads the sanctions committee, said in an e-mail on Monday that the investigators had not yet submitted their final reports. | A committee of the United Nations Security Council, which oversees the sanctions on North Korea, sent investigators to Panama in August to determine whether the impounded cargo had violated any provisions. Jacques Flies, a spokesman for the Luxembourg Mission to the United Nations, which leads the sanctions committee, said in an e-mail on Monday that the investigators had not yet submitted their final reports. |
| At the annual General Assembly opening session last month, the president of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, said in his speech that the vessel had been secretly transporting “an enormous amount of war material that, by definition and destination, clearly violates Security Council Sanctions Committee mandates.” | At the annual General Assembly opening session last month, the president of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, said in his speech that the vessel had been secretly transporting “an enormous amount of war material that, by definition and destination, clearly violates Security Council Sanctions Committee mandates.” |
Paulina Villegas contributed reporting from Mexico City. | Paulina Villegas contributed reporting from Mexico City. |
| This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: | This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: |
| Correction: October 21, 2013 | Correction: October 21, 2013 |
An earlier version of this article | An earlier version of this article misquoted a Panamanian Foreign Ministry official. He said two North Korean diplomats had been granted visas to travel to Panama to help complete arrangements for the crew members to leave. He did not say the crew members had been granted visas to leave. |