North Korean Ship Yields Worrisome Cargo

Panama Finds What U.S. Suspects Are Missile-System Components Originating in Cuba; Havana Calls the Gear ‘Obsolete’.

Panamanian authorities detained a North Korean-flagged ship and its crew as they headed for North Korea from Cuba carrying what U.S. officials suspect are components of a surface-to-air missile system.

U.S. officials said the intercepted cargo is of potential worry if it indicates a growing bilateral arms trade between North Korea and Cuba.

Analysts said Cuba’s role in the arms shipment could derail efforts to improve relations with the U.S.

Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli on Monday night said intelligence information had indicated the North Korean-flagged Chong Chon Gang might be carrying drugs, but that “containers with sophisticated missiles” were found under containers of sugar.

U.S. officials later said that according to preliminary information, there were no missiles aboard the ship.

Late Tuesday, Cuba’s foreign ministry said the vessel, which was carrying 10,000 tons of sugar, was also loaded with 240 metric tons of “obsolete defensive weapons” built in the mid-20th century. These included nine disassembled missiles, two MiG-21 Bis jet fighters, and two disassembled antiaircraft missile complexes, “to be repaired and returned to Cuba.”

Cuba said the shipment of these weapons to North Korea is “supported by the need to maintain our defensive capacity in order to preserve national sovereignty.” It wasn’t clear if Cuba’s acknowledgment of its ownership of the weapons would be enough to quell the controversy.

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