Here's another shocker--all this was done despite the United Nations' Security Council resolution 1874, which banned North Korea from exporting arms.
On August 15, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) seized an Australian-owned ship flying a Bahamian flag, bound for Iraq. Only within the past 24 hours has the UAE admitted to the seizure, after having notified the UN, Iran and North Korea, the AP reports. The cargo onboard was not the oil-based machinery listed on the ships manifest, but included rocket-propelled grenades and other small-arms munitions.
The seizure of the North Korean arms came just four days prior to former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's meeting in Santa Fe with NKorean representatives and more than one week after former President Bill Clinton visited Pyongyang to negotiate a release for two captive American journalists.
It's highly likely US foreign intelligence and the Obama administration were aware of the weapons seizure prior to Governor Richardson's meeting with NKorean representatives, but what isn't clear is whether the pending shipment of arms had been mentioned during Clinton's visit with NKorean leader Kim Jong-Il.
Did the US agree to look the other way during North Korea's shipment of weapons to the Middle East in exchange for a meeting of minds in New Mexico? Or is the US being played for a fool by Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong-Il? And the more important question--is President Obama going to answer to the American people on this one?