Sri Lanka clarifies it has no personal rift with North Korea

Sri Lanka today clarified it has no personal rift with North Korea and that it only supported a recent UN resolution on the country as part of its commitments to the UN.

Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera told Parliament today that when sanctions were imposed by the UN on North Korea recently, Sri Lanka implemented the resolution as a UN member state.

He said that Sri Lanka had to comply with the UN resolution and it had no personal rift with North Korea.

The Government had recently enforced the UN resolution in a gazette notice related to North Korea while a separate gazette was also issued on a UN resolution related to nuclear and chemical weapons.

The gazette notice on North Korea notes that?a person in Sri Lanka or a citizen of Sri Lanka outside Sri Lanka will be prohibited from?supplying, selling or transfering, directly or indirectly, any item or any luxury item designated by the United Nations?Security Council to any person in North Korea or any person acting?on behalf of North Korea.

The gazette also says a person shall not cause or permit a vessel or an aircraft to be used for the purpose of carrying out activities?specified in the resolution or for purposes of procurement of coal, iron, iron ore, copper,?nickel, silver and zinc, or statues from North Korea or by their nationals.

The Sri Lankan Government also said that a person in Sri Lanka or a citizen of Sri Lanka outside Sri Lanka will be prohibited from?providing or receiving assets, financial services, technical training, advice, services or assistance related to?the provision, manufacture, production, possession, acquisition maintenance, stockpiling, storage,?development, transportation, transfer or use of any designated item to any person in North Korea?or any citizen of North Korea.?(Colombo Gazette)