11:06, 25 April 2009 | GMT +5
Diplomats react to imposition of sanctions on 3 North Korean companies
UNITED NATIONS. April 25. KAZINFORM. A decision to place three North Korean companies on the list of organizations subject to sanctions that was taken Friday by the UN Security Council?s Sanctions Committee does not signal a toughening of the regime of sanctions against North Korea, a diplomat on the Russian mission to the UN told Itar-Tass; Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.

?The case in hand is not a toughening of sanctions but, rather, the fleshing out of the regime of sanctions that the Security Council introduced in 2006 by issuing Resolution 1718,? he said.
The diplomat recalled that the Sanctions Committee had also updated a list of materials that cannot be exported to or imported from North Korea and falling under the regime of control over missile technologies.
US diplomats said the new legally binding sanctions came as "a serious and credible response" to the launch.
British ambassador John Sawers was quoted by the BBC as saying the committee's unanimous agreement was "a major step forward in terms of international action to disrupt and deter" North Korea's ballistic missile programme.
The placing of three North Korean companies on the list for sanctions means that their foreign accounts should be frozen and their partners from other countries should suspend cooperation with them, Turkey?s ambassador to the UN Baki Ilkin said Friday
Sanctions have been imposed on the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation /KOMID/, the Korea Ryongbong General Corporation, and the Tanchon Commercial Bank.
As a result of a compromise between the Security Council?s members, only three companies remained on the list.
All of them were believably involved in the launch of the Unha missile by North Korea, which according to Pyongyang?s reports was launched to take a telecommunications satellite into orbit.
Some of the Security Council members believe however that Pyongyang tested a regular ballistic missile; Kazinform cites Itar-Tass. See www.itar-tass.com for full version.