The United States said yesterday that the Macanese authorities have unblocked
the DPRK funds frozen at the Banco Delta Asia and authorized account holders can
withdraw their money from the bank.
"I will let the Macanese authorities speak to how they want to put it but the
bottom line is that they have unblocked these accounts and the account holders
can -- authorized account holder can -- withdraw the funds from those accounts,"
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
Earlier Tuesday, the US Treasury Department said the United States supports
the Macanese authorities to unblock all DPRK-related accounts currently frozen
in the Banco Delta Asia.
"Based on previous discussions with Chinese, Macanese, and DPRK officials, as
well as understandings reached with the DPRK on the use of these funds, the
United States would support a decision by the Macanese authorities to unblock
the accounts in question," the Treasury Department said in a statement.
The DPRK funds were frozen after the United States blacklisted the Macanese
bank for allegedly helping Pyongyang launder money. However, the bank has denied
any wrongdoing.
The dispute over the frozen funds has put a gloomy prospect over whether the
DPRK can meet a deadline of beginning to shut down its nuclear program as
stipulated in the Feb. 13 nuclear agreement.