Russia keeps watch on Georgia's plane arrest in Thailand - FM.

15/1 Tass 200

MOSCOW, January 15 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's Foreign Ministry closely
watches how the situation with Georgia's Il-76 cargo plane with illegal
arms on board detained in Bangkok on December 12 develops, the ministry's
spokesman, Andrei Nesterenko, said on Friday.

The diplomat recalled that "on December 11, the Thai authorities
detained the Il-76 plane with arms on board owned by air carrier Air
Georgia that flew from North Korea."
"Under UN Resolution 1874 North Korea is banned to export all types of
arms and all member-states of the UN are forbidden to buy North Korea's
arms," he said. "Following Provision 11 of UN Security Council Resolution
1874 the Thai authorities inspected the cargo at the airport of Bangkok
and found the items prohibited for export."
The Thai authorities investigated the case and following the
requirements of the UN Security Council submitted an official detailed
report on the inspection and arrest of the contraband cargo to the UN
Sanctions Committee on UN Security Council Resolution 1718 on December 28,
2009.
"Further investigation into this case and the clarification of
circumstances of North Korea's violation of the sanctions regime will be
continued within the framework of the UN Sanctions Committee on UN
Security Council Resolution 1718," Nesterenko said. "It is expected that
the chairman of the Committee will send requests to all parties engaged in
this case asking them to provide explanations of what had happened."
-0-isk/usn