US hands over seized Scud missiles to Yemen

The shipment of North Korean–made Scud missiles seized by the US Navy has been freed and is heading for port in Yemen.

Yemeni officials said the shipment was released after high–level contact between Yemen and the United States.

The official Saba news agency said the United States had assured Yemen that the shipment would be released as long as the Yemen–North Korea weapons deal was concluded on a legal basis.

"US Vice President Dick Cheney told Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh that President George W. Bush ordered the shipment to be returned," Saba reported.

The ship was stopped off the Arabian peninsula on Monday and Spanish officials said the 15 Scud–type missiles and other sophisticated military hardwarehad been secreted under tons of cement.

Spain said the ship was believed to be North Korean but was sailing without a flag. The crew apparently was North Korean.

A Yemeni official told The Associated Press that Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al–Kerbi had summouned the US ambassador to protestat the seizure of the shipment. The American. Embassy had no comment.

"The minister informed the ambassador that the shipment was bound to Yemen and that the missles were only to be used in defensive purposes," the official said.

Yemen and North Korea completed a military deal several months ago.

The Spanish navy was participating in the anti–terrorism operation in the region. US authorities who had been monitoring the ship quickly boarded after it was halted about 600 miles (off the Horn of Africa.

The Bush administration in August imposed sanctions on a North Korean company Changgwang Sinyong Corp. for selling Scud missile parts to Yemen. At that time, US authorities asked Yemen why it bought the parts; the government apologized and promised not to do so again, defence officials said in Washington.

Under the US sanctions, Changgwang Sinyong Corp. will be barred for two years from obtaining new individual export licenses through the Commerce or State departments for any controlled items. The sanctions have little practical effect, one official said, because there is so little commerce between the United States and North Korea.