ＢＤＡ資金、東南アの銀行活用も 口座主が送金をテスト
マカオの銀行バンコ・デルタ・アジア（ＢＤＡ）の北朝鮮関連資金の移転が遅れている問題で、東南アジアの複数の銀行を資金（米ドル）の受け入れ先とする解決案が進んでいることがわかった。受け入れ先が確保され、送金が確認できれば北朝鮮の核施設の稼働停止に向けた条件が整う。
だが金融筋からは、この方法での問題解決には１８日に発効したばかりの米財務省の対ＢＤＡ金融制裁の解除や例外措置の適用が必要との指摘が出ている。
中朝貿易関係者によると、東南アジアのある銀行から、北朝鮮関連資金を受け入れる用意と、送金先口座の番号が具体的に示された。別の東南アジアの銀行も送金を受け入れる意向で、細部を調整している。
ＢＤＡの大口口座主である北朝鮮の外資系銀行「大同信用銀行」で、渉外担当を務める英国人投資家は「我々の資金が本当に国際金融システムに接続できるのかテストする」として、凍結資金をインターネットを通じてほかの銀行口座に送金する考えを明らかにした。
中朝貿易関係者は「送金の試みは１７日から始まった。成功すれば他の口座主も同様の手続きを踏むだろう」と語った。
米ドルの国際送金は、送り手と受け手の銀行がそれぞれ契約する米国内の為替業務代行銀行（コルレス銀行）間で行うのが一般的だ。しかし、米財務省の金融制裁で、コルレス銀行はＢＤＡとの取引を停止し、ＢＤＡは米ドルの国際送金ができなくなっている。
このため、香港の複数の金融筋は「米政府が特別措置で一時的にでも制裁を解除するか、現金で運ぶかしか方法はないはずだ」としている。
asahi.com：ＢＤＡ資金、東南アの銀行活用も 口座主が送金をテスト - 国際
北朝鮮の米ドル偽造問題などを引き続き懸念＝米財務副次官補
【ワシントン １８日 ロイター】 グレーザー米財務副次官補（テロ資金・金融犯罪担当）は１８日、北朝鮮の米ドル偽造問題や、今回凍結が解除されたマカオのバンコ・デルタ・アジア（ＢＤＡ）口座にあった北朝鮮資金について、引き続き懸念していると述べた。
下院外交小委員会での証言で述べた。
ＢＤＡの口座にあった北朝鮮の資金約２５００万ドルについては、難航した交渉の末、最近凍結が解除されたが、副次官補は「この口座の一部については、依然懸念を抱いている」と述べた。
北朝鮮の米ドル偽造問題などを引き続き懸念＝米財務副次官補
Your turn, Mr Kim
Unlike previous attempts to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons programmes, the agreement reached at the six-nation talks in Beijing on February 13 was admirably precise. The North Korean regime led by Kim Jong-il must now do everything it promised to do on that day.
The first action specified in the text obliged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to "shut down and seal for the purpose of eventual abandonment the Yongbyon nuclear facility, including the reprocessing facility, and invite back IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] personnel to conduct all necessary monitoring". This and other steps, furthermore, were to be implemented within 60 days - that is, by April 14, or four days ago.
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Having toiled for months to reach this agreement, the governments involved - both Koreas, the US, China, Japan and Russia - have all been too sanguine about the missed deadline. Even Christopher Hill, the chief US negotiator, said the US was ready to hold on for "a few more days". Japan did at least describe North Korea's failure as "extremely regrettable", while China, South Korea and Russia were characteristically complaisant.
The explanation for this relaxed attitude is that the US was struggling to meet North Korean demands to release $25m funds frozen at Banco Delta Asia in Macau, a small bank with North Korean customers accused by the US of involvement in money-laundering.
Problems at Banco Delta Asia, however, do not absolve North Korea of its obligations, for at least two good reasons. First, there is no direct reference to the bank in the February 13 agreement, although the US did accept the need to resolve the issue before the inspection and dismantling of nuclear facilities could begin. Second, and most important, the problem has now been resolved. The US Treasury has authorised release of the money and cannot be blamed if the bank's North Korean customers have made no serious effort to retrieve their funds.
Mr Hill and the Bush administration have wisely resisted calls from US hardliners, including John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the UN, to take a confrontational stance against the North Koreans. Instead, by removing the financial obstacles to implementation of the deal Mr Hill and his colleagues have done everything possible to ensure that North Korea has no excuse to walk away.
These tactics deserve to work, and should be firmly supported by the three countries that have hitherto shown insufficient public commitment to the goal of ending North Korea's military nuclear ambitions: China, South Korea and Russia. The US approach may even be working already. Yesterday there were reports of activity at Yongbyon, interpreted as preparations for shutting down the reactor. So much the better, for the ball is now in North Korea's court.
FT.com / Comment & analysis / Editorial comment - Your turn, Mr Kim