The US complained that the UN committee monitoring sanctions on North Korea (NK) has not adopted US-sponsored and other amendments to October 14 sanctions that would limit transfer of equipment, goods, and technology to the communist regime. Deputy Ambassador Jackie Sanders asked the committee should ensure that the sanctions on Pyongyang with all relevant and approved amendments to maintain its “credibility.” Sanders also revealed that it will propose the addition of more “entities” to this restricted list but did not say what they may be.
In response to its nuclear test, the UNSC had imposed sanctions on North Korea that would limit the export of weapons of mass destruction or ballistic missiles and also requires member nations to freeze assets of people or businesses connected to the nuclear and weapons programs. The sanctions also restrict travel of these individuals. Aiming to curb the comfort level of the small elite in NK, the sanctions also ban sale of luxury goods such as cognac, lobster, and vintage French wine.
The outgoing chairman of the monitoring committee, Slovakia's U.N. Ambassador Peter Burian, said that the committee is in the process "of determining additional items, materials, equipment, goods and technology” and will be added to the list when it makes the determination. There was also an apparent confusion on what constitutes luxury goods and the committee wants UN member states to define these goods to ensure that “supply of ordinary goods to the wider population” are not restricted and “have a negative humanitarian impact.”
Pyongyang insists that for it to continue with its dialogue with the US, Russia, China, Japan, and North Korea, it requires the US to lift crippling financial sanctions imposed by the US over alleged counterfeiting of $100 bills and money laundering. Washington has refused to do this but said it is willing to talk to NK to create an environment that can build confidence leading to lifting of sanctions.
