China on Friday called for a proper resolution of issues
involving allegedly illicit funds held by North Korea in a Macao
bank.
"China has noticed the recent statement made by the US Treasury
Department and that made by the Macao Special Administrative Region
government, and we hope these are conducive to properly resolving
relevant issues," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said
in a statement.
"We hope for and encourage constructive efforts by the parties
to jointly promote the process of the six-party talks (on the
Korean Peninsula nuclear issue)," Qin said.
The United States said on April 6 that it supported the return
of the allegedly illicit funds frozen in a Macao bank to North
Korea.
"We support the release of all the funds. It is now a matter of
technical implementation," US State Department spokesman Sean
McCormack said. "We believe that we have identified a way to do
that."
The United States on March 19 agreed to transfer the US$25
million frozen in the Macao-based Banco Delta Asia (BDA) to a North
Korean account at the Bank of China in Beijing.
?
North Korea, which agreed at the six-party talks in February to
shut down and seal the Yongbyon nuclear facility, insisted that
unfreezing the funds was a prerequisite for starting other
negotiations.
(Xinhua News Agency April 13, 2007)
