hankyoreh

The United States said Thursday it will withhold all contributions to the U.N.
Development Program (UNDP), an agency accused of mismanaging its North Korea activities that led to a large, steady influx of cash into a regime suspected of seeking nuclear weapons.

The U.S. would also consider proposing that the U.N. stop all programs in the North except those for humanitarian assistance, said Amb. Alejandro Wolff, acting U.S. envoy to the United Nations.

He said the U.S. was satisfied with UNDP's announcement of steps to remedy the situation, including an audit and readjustment of its 2007-2009 North Korean program.

"In the meantime, until we get the results of that audit and the program is reviewed, we would defer approval of the new program for the DPRK," the envoy said.

"The United States also withholds its contribution in part to UNDP to the DPRK program," he said.

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

Japan went further, its envoy suggesting the U.N. stop all programs in North Korea except for direct humanitarian aid.

Wolff said the Japanese argument "is quite compelling" and added the U.S. will consider the proposal.

At the State Department, spokesman Sean McCormack denied that the UNDP probe is targeted at Pyongyang.

"This is not a U.S.-North Korea issue," McCormack told reporters. "This is not directed at North Korea. This is simply an issue of management and oversight of U.N. programs. The (U.N.) secretary-general and executive director of UNDP understand it as such."

UNDP has been accused by the U.S. of mismanaging its aid activities in North Korea, resulting in a massive cash flow into the Pyongyang regime through hard currency payments to the North Korean government and local employees and vendors.

Ban Ki-moon, the new U.N. leader, on Monday asked for an overall audit of all U.N. funds and programs, starting with the first report on North Korea to be completed within 90 days.

Pyongyang in a statement earlier Thursday claimed strict conformity with U.N. regulations in working with the UNDP and charged Washington was "kicking up another anti-DPRK racket" for its own "dirty political aims."

The U.S. became aware of the UNDP problem during the past several months, McCormack said.

He described Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's general attitude on the issue as wanting to make sure that all U.N.

programs are properly administered, "that there's good oversight, and that the money you allocate to those programs reaches those who are intended to benefit from them."



Washinton, Jan. 25 (Yonhap News)