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N. Korean Accounts to Remain Frozen for Long
The assets of North Korea frozen by demand of the United States at accounts with Banca Delta Asia in Macao will be hardly unfrozen soon, said Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov.
”I don’t believe in the recent media reports that the issue could be solved today or tomorrow,” Losyukov said, pointing out the six-party negotiations on nuclear weapons problem of Korea will be resumed once the accounts in Macao are finally unfrozen.
“The schedule of progressing towards freezing nuclear facilities of North Korea has been lined out, the Koreans say they are ready to go along,” the official specified.
But the transfer of North Korean money from accounts in Macao to Russia’s banks is “hardly possible,” Losyukov said. By transferring money from Banca Delta Asia, any bank will automatically subject itself to sanctions of the U.S. financial system. “The system is powerful, and no one wants to quarrel with it.”
The accounts with Banco Delta Asia in Macau have been frozen since the U.S. Treasury faulted it for assistance to Pyongyang in laundering earnings from counterfeit U.S. dollars and illicit drugs. Nowadays, the start of six-party talks on the nuclear weapons program of North Korea is conditioned to unfreezing the accounts in Macao, having made this place a focal point for the progress in negotiations.
www.kommersant.com
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