Examination proves fighter jets, parts and missiles hidden on ship leaving Cuba were not for repair and return, report argues

Fighter jets and parts seized from a ship in Panama were likely intended for use by North Korea, an apparent violation of UN sanctions, an arms control institute has said.

The findings by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute contradict Cuba's claim that it was only sending equipment to North Korea for repairs and expected it to be returned. The contraband hidden in a cargo of sugar included MiG aircraft and motors, missiles and anti-aircraft missile systems.

UN sanctions forbid North Korea from trading arms to deprive it of technology and revenue because of its pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. If the Cuban equipment was intended for North Korean use it would suggest Pyongyang is struggling to maintain its ageing conventional armaments.

The ship, Chong Chon Gang, was intercepted on 15 July in the Panama Canal with 25 containers of Cuban military equipment found beneath the 10,000 tonnes of sugar. The equipment was not listed on the ship's manifest.

Experts at the Stockholm institute say they have seen a report and photographs compiled by Panamanian authorities and the UN Organisation on Drugs and Crime concerning what was found in the containers. The institute's experts said there was other cargo not mentioned by Cuban officials in public statements, including items of ammunition for rocket-propelled grenades and conventional artillery, much of it in mint condition and in the original packing cases.

"They clearly were not 'to be repaired and returned to Cuba,'" the institute says in an analysis.

The analysis was published ib Tuesday by 38 North, the website for the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. It was written by Hugh Griffiths, who heads the Stockholm institute's program on countering illicit trafficking, and Roope Siiritola, a research intern.

After the seizure, Cuba said the cargo included "obsolete defensive weapons" including two MiG-21 jet aircraft and 15 motors, nine missiles in parts and two anti-aircraft systems, all being sent to North Korea "to be repaired and returned". North Korea said it had a "legitimate contract" to overhaul "ageing weapons" and return them to Cuba.

UN sanctions state that members shall prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of all arms and materiel to North Korea, including related spare parts but excluding small arms and light weapons.

The Stockholm institute says the MiG fuselages were packed carelessly, with no padding to protect the extremities from damage at sea, suggesting there were intended to be dismantled for spare parts. The engines were more securely attached and protected, suggesting they were intended to be used as replacements.

The institute says North Korea has a track record of attempted illicit or clandestine procurement of the MiG engines and aircraft, including two other reported instances since 2009 and another in 1999. The July seizure came less than two weeks after a North Korean military delegation met the Cuban leader, Raul Castro, in Havana on 2 July.

In mid-August a UN panel of experts monitoring sanctions against North Korea travelled to Panama to investigate the arms seizure. Their report has yet to be made public. If they find sanctions have been violated they could recommend the security council add individuals or entities involved to a UN sanctions list. Member states may then follow up by imposing travel and financial restrictions on them.

Years of sanctions have restricted if not stopped North Korea's sale of arms in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, as well as hurting its ability to procure conventional military equipment, including for its air force.

The latest arms seizure "tells us the North Koreans are pretty desperate when it comes to air force procurement. They are scraping the bottom of the barrel," Griffiths told the Associated Press.