Bangkok, Aug 21: A top US diplomat said on Friday
Washington was monitoring Myanmar`s stated commitment to
enforcing UN sanctions on North Korea, after reports of
possible nuclear cooperation between the Asian nations.
Last month US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed a
pledge by military-ruled Myanmar to abide by a UN resolution
on the sanctions, following a rare meeting between US and
Myanmar officials at an Asian summit.
But reports in recent weeks have said that Pyongyang is
helping Myanmar to build a secret nuclear reactor and
plutonium extraction plant, and to build an atomic bomb within
five years, causing regional concerns.
"The Burmese government did make a commitment during the
course of the ARF (Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Regional Forum) meetings in Phuket to implement the
resolution," Ambassador Philip Goldberg, the US coordinator
for the implementation of recent UN sanctions on Pyongang,
said in Bangkok.
"We hope and expect that that will be the case but it is
something that will require further discussion," he told
reporters. US officials refer to Myanmar by its former name,
Burma.
Goldberg was in Bangkok as part of an Asian trip aimed at
strengthening support for the UN Security Council resolution
passed in July in response to North Korea`s May 25 underground
nuclear test and subsequent missile firings.
Bureau Report
