You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Caribbean-Latin America
Cuba: 'Obsolete' weapons on ship going to North Korea for repair
2013-07-17
Followup from yesterday. You can't make this up.
Military equipment found by Panamanian authorities on a North Korean boat consisted of "240 metric tons of obsolete defensive weapons" sent to North Korea for repair, Cuba's Foreign Ministry said.
Because you always send military gear to Nork-land for repair. Who else could do it?
The equipment, hidden beneath packages of brown sugar on the boat, was manufactured in the mid-20th century and included two anti-aircraft missile complexes, nine missiles in parts and spares, two MiG-21 jets and 15 motors for this type of airplane, the foreign ministry said.
That's not 'obsolete' in Nork-land...
"The agreements subscribed by Cuba in this field are supported by the need to maintain our defensive capacity in order to preserve national sovereignty," the statement said. "The Republic of Cuba reiterates its firm and unwavering commitment with peace, disarmament, including nuclear disarmament, and respect for international law."
The writer was a professional diplomat. Not only did his lips not fall off, they never even moved...
The Cuban government's revelation, which was also read on state television, is the latest chapter in an international drama that has all the elements of a thriller: a violent confrontation on a detained North Korean ship, a suspected missile onboard, a heart attack and an attempted suicide.
Calling Daniel Silva...
Panamanian authorities on Tuesday were examining the military equipment, discovered late Monday during an anti-drug inspection.

Because it is pursuing nuclear weapons, North Korea is banned by the United Nations from importing and exporting most weapons.
Even obsolete ones for repair...
Few details of the confrontation were available, but the ship's North Korean crew of 35 resisted arrest, said Panama's security minister, Jose Raul Mulino. He described it as "violent," saying that the crew tried to sabotage the ship by cutting cables on the cranes that would be used to unload cargo.
Bill Pudgy for the repairs, and hold the ship until the check clears...
During the struggle with Panamanian authorities, the ship's captain suffered an apparent heart attack and then tried to kill himself, according to President Ricardo Martinelli.

The crew also refused to raise the ship's anchor, Mulino said, forcing Panamanian authorities to cut the anchor loose to move the ship.

As of Tuesday, authorities had not identified the military equipment or its country of origin, Mulino said. Those details would not be known until all the sugar was unloaded and the objects removed from the ship.

Military analyst IHS Jane's released a statement Tuesday identifying the equipment shown in the photos as "fire control" radar equipment for surface-to-air missiles.
Similarly obsolete...
Jane's proposed two theories about why the equipment was on board the ship.

"One possibility is that Cuba could be sending the system to North Korea for an upgrade. In this case, it would likely be returned to Cuba and the cargo of sugar could be a payment for the services," the statement said.

Jane's other theory was that "the fire-control radar equipment could have been en route to North Korea to augment Pyongyang's existing air defense network. North Korea's air defense network is arguably one of the densest in the world, but it is also based on obsolete weapons, missiles and radars."
So it makes sense for them to obtain more obsolete equipment to go along with their currently obsolete weapons...
U.S. officials said the radar, which tracks targets for the missiles, is believed to be the major piece of military equipment on board the North Korean freighter.

Panama said it will ask a United Nations technical support team to inspect the cargo to determine what type of weaponry it is.

"Honestly, this kind of military equipment can't go through the country while declaring that it is something else, especially hiding it as you can see here," Martinelli said. "We will continue to empty the entire ship to see what's in it, and the relevant authorities will determine what exactly is on this ship."

"If it is confirmed that the vessel was carrying arms or related materiel and that the shipment was part of a purchase or sale to or from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, then there would indeed be a breach of the U.N. sanctions regime relating to that country," spokeswoman Morana Song said.

Members of the U.N.'s North Korea sanctions committee have seen media reports about the boat and are awaiting a formal notification with details from Panama.

"We are following it closely," said Jacques Flies, a spokesman for Luxembourg Ambassador Sylvie Lucas, who chairs the committee.

Investigators spotted the boat going through the Panama Canal to Havana and then back toward the canal, according to two senior U.S. officials who said the United States had been tracking the ship along with the Panamanians for some time. Another senior U.S. official said the United States had been tracking the ship for several days and knew that Panamanian authorities were going to stop it.

State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell declined to describe U.S. interactions with Panama concerning the ship, but noted that the vessel has a checkered past connected with drug smuggling.

"Public reports from 2010 and also a U.N. panel of experts report from 2012 cite this history," he said Tuesday. "So this vessel has a well-known history in this regard."

Cuban state media reported late last month that North Korean army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Kyok Sik visited the island and had high-level meetings, including one with Cuban leader Raul Castro.
To negotiate to purchase obsolete anti-air radar systems...
Chang, author of "Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World," said the Panamanian president's dramatic description of how the ship's crew members handled the incident didn't surprise him.

"They are bat-shit crazy do not want anybody on their ships," he said. "Whether it's carrying melons or nuclear technology, the North Koreans would act pretty much the same way."
Posted by:Steve White

#8  Pappy wins. It's been a while since Dr. Seuss got a mention on these pages. :-)
Posted by: trailing wife   2013-07-17 21:38  

#7  "240 metric tons of obsolete defensive weapons" sent to North Korea for repair, Cuba's Foreign Ministry said

Didn't the Grinch try the same thing with the Who's Christmas tree and his "light burned out on one side" statement?
Posted by: Pappy   2013-07-17 20:53  

#6  #3

heheheheheh... I'm dyin' here.
Posted by: Cheager Angoluque6848   2013-07-17 20:45  

#5  Uh, uh, BUY CUBAN SUGAR, NOW WID FDA-APPROVED "ATOLL" AIR-TO-AIR MISSLES!

gut nuthin.

Serusly, gut nuthin.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2013-07-17 19:27  

#4  Weren't the missiles suppose to have been removed after the Cuban Missile Crisis? Just asking.
Posted by: P2Kontheroad   2013-07-17 18:03  

#3  
"They do not want anybody on their ships," he said. "Whether it's carrying melons or nuclear technology, the North Koreans would act pretty much the same way."


Because they're usually carrying drugs, counterfeit money, and slaves.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2013-07-17 12:29  

#2  Buried in sugar and missing from the manifest?

Tell me another one.
Posted by: Muggsey Mussolini   2013-07-17 10:59  

#1  I thought "obsolete" stuff generally got "retired", not "repaired".

Unless you're the Mad Mullahs, in which case, you'd love to have your obsolete F-14's repaired.
Posted by: Bobby   2013-07-17 05:49  

00:00