Daily Press Briefing

QUESTION: Thanks. North Korea insisted to have the North Korea funding in BDA be transferred to an American banking institution. Is it agreeable to the United States?

MR. MCCORMACK: They're still working with their bankers and if there's any requirement for an opinion from the Treasury Department as to whether or not this is a transaction that the financial institutions involved would feel comfortable doing, then the Treasury Department will take a look at that and see what it is that they can do.

You can speak to my colleagues over at Treasury as to whether or not they're looking at that or working on anything. But again, the main issue here is to get BDA over and done with, have it completed so we can get back to the six-party talks and focus on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, which is what everybody's major concern is here.

Nicholas.

QUESTION: Sean, don't you think that the North Koreans are just becoming really, really pretentious about where the money could go? I mean, they now can choose what bank to send the money to? I mean, is it -- when are you going to just crack down and just say, "I'm sorry, resolve your problems the way you can, but don't prolong this." It's been two months almost since the deadline.

MR. MCCORMACK: Right.

QUESTION: How long are they going to take? Italian banks, South Korean banks, American banks, where is it going?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, you -- look, Nicholas, you can talk to them about where it's going. (Laughter.) Look, we all want this. You know, we all want this to be over and done with. As I've said many, many times over, it's a heck of a lot more complicated than anybody would have ever thought it. Everybody wants to see this transaction completed, over and done with, so that we can move on. And to my knowledge it hasn't taken place. We all look forward to the day, especially me, when this happens, so we don't have to answer questions about BDA and we can talk more about the six-party talks and what we're doing there.

QUESTION: But how realistic is it to think that any American Bank after what happened to BBDA, or the treasury did to BDA that any American bank would be willing to accept, you know, the money?

MR. MCCORMACK: Nicholas, you would have to -- obviously individual banks regardless if they're American or Italian or Russian or whatever flavor, they're going to have to make their own decisions about risk and reward, about their -- any reputational risks that might come along with this. I would assume that as part of that calculation that they're going to look at what the reaction from the Department of Treasury might be. As I pointed out earlier, you can talk to the Treasury Department whether or not they're looking at any of these issues. That wouldn't be our call. And ultimately, it would come down to the parties involved, the North Korea, the Macanese authorities, I assume Chinese Authorities, the specific banks, other banks involved, non-Macanese banks involved. And ultimately if required, some opinion or signal from the Department of Treasury.


国務省ディリー記者会見記録、5月9日(部分）

Ｑ：北朝鮮が、アメリカ国内の銀行経由でＢＤＡ口座資金の移動をしたい、と要求して
　　いるようだが、これは許可できることなのか？

Ａ：北朝鮮は、（ＢＤＡ)銀行といろいろ打開策を考えているようなのだが、アメリカ国
　　内の銀行への規制は財務省の担当であるから、必要なら財務省が判断するだろう。
　　私の同胞の財務省の人たちに、北朝鮮の資金移動について、貴方方は質問することが
　　出来る。しかし、いずれにせよ（国務省から見れば）問題はＢＤＡの件を片付ける事
　　であって、早期に6者会合に復帰することだ。

Ｑ：この件で、北朝鮮はたいへんもったいぶって、うぬぼれて（pretentious）いるので
　　はないのか？　ＢＤＡ問題が（財務省によって）判断されてから、もう2ヶ月もたつ。
　　国務省は彼らに「貴方達のできる方法で問題を解決せよ、でも、この問題をこれ以上
　　引き伸ばす（口実に使う)事はやめよ」と言えば良いのではないか？

Ａ：そう（Right）

Ｑ：イタリアの銀行、韓国の銀行、アメリカの銀行・・いつまでこういうのが続くのか？

Ａ：皆が、ＢＤＡ問題を解決して、次の段階に進むことを期待しているわけで、私は、
　　ＢＤＡ問題で質問を受けことの無いように、早くなって欲しいものだと思う。

Ｑ：アメリカの銀行がＢＤＡの口座資金を扱うというのは、現実にあり得る話なのか？

Ａ：勿論、銀行が、そういう事をしようと思うなら、アメリカの銀行でもロシアの銀行で
　　も、イタリアの銀行でも、リスクとメリットについて良く考えなくてはいけない。財
　　務省のリアクションについても考えなくてはならない。この件は財務省に質問すべき
　　内容なのだけれど。この件口座資金の取り扱いの件は、北朝鮮、澳門と中国の金融当
　　局、ＢＤＡ、澳門以外の銀行、といった当事者の判断であり、必要であれば財務省が
　　意見を述べるだろう。

Daily Press Briefing -- May 9