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Canberra Bans Shipments to Oz from North Korea

As many around the world look at the U.N. Security Council`s actions toward North Korea as less than noteworthy given the obstructionist tendencies of Pyongyang`s traditional Chinese and Russian allies on it, the government of Australia - which maintains diplomatic relations with North Korea in the interest of keeping lines of communication open - has announced that it will be banning North Korean ships from docking at Australian ports. Canberra has expressed deep displeasure with the regime of Kim Jong-Il`s actions with regard to the latter`s nuclear program.

While Australia`s highest-level diplomat, Alexander Downer, has stated that Australia will not sever diplomatic relations, last week`s nuclear test by the North prompted him nevertheless to call in to his office North Korea`s ambassador and read him the riot act. In 2005, imports to the Commonwealth of Australia from the reclusive "Democratic People`s Republic of Korea" (as North Korea calls itself) amounted to roughly $12 million in U.S. dollars, or $16 million in Australian dollars.

Speaking before the Australian parliament this week, Foreign Minister Downer said "If we are to ban North Korean vessels from visiting Australian ports then I think that will help Australia make a quite clear contribution to the United Nations sanctions regime." Doubts have arisen as to the effectiveness of a measure passed last weekend by the Security Council, and North Korea itself has denounced the council as "gangster-like" and called the resolution a "declaration of war" against Pyongyang.