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UNDP Suspends Operations in North Korea
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1683E6D:A6F02AD83191E160B7885EC061424B639574F7DCC14957C0 UN Development
Program halts operations, following US allegations agency allowed
Pyongyang to use humanitarian aid money for government purposes The
U.N. Development Program has suspended operations in North Korea,
following U.S. allegations the agency allowed Pyongyang to use
humanitarian aid money for government purposes.

The UNDP says on its Web site that as of March 1 it has no choice but
to suspend its operations in North Korea, because conditions set out
by an executive board in January have not been met.

The board had demanded the UNDP in North Korea end all hard currency
payments to Pyongyang and stop sub-contracting local staff through
government recruitment.

In January, the UNDP suspended its three-year, $18 million budget for
North Korea, pending an investigation into how its money was being
used.

Washington had expressed concern that millions of dollars meant to
help North Korean citizens might instead have been used to develop
nuclear weapons.

The U.N. Development Program operates 20 projects in North Korea. Over
the past decade, it has funded about $3 million a year in development
activities there.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP.




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