Panama says it has asked UN experts to
inspect Cuban weapons found on board a
seized North Korean ship in the Panama
canal.
The crew of the vessel is to be charged with
crimes against Panama's internal security,
officials there said.
The ship was seized by Panama last week after
"undeclared military cargo" was found hidden in
a shipment of sugar.
United Nations (UN) sanctions prohibit the supply
of arms to North Korea in the dispute over its
nuclear programme.
Cuba earlier admitted being behind the stash of
weapons found on board the ship. It said they
were obsolete Soviet-era arms from Cuba
headed for repair in North Korea.
Cuba admitted being behind the military cargo,
hidden inside a shipment of 10,000 tonnes of
sugar.
Panamanian officials seized the boat after its
crew failed to respond to communication
attempts. Officials said they had suspected the
ship could be carrying illegal goods, initially
thought to be drugs.
'Two more containers'
On Wednesday, Panama's Security Minister Jose
Raul Mulino said officials had discovered "two
more containers" with suspected arms, in
addition to the two already confiscated.
He said Panama had asked the UN for advice on
how to proceed in the case of the vessel being
caught smuggling arms from Cuba through the
canal.
Mr Mulino added that he expected Panama to
hand over the ship and its contents to the UN.
The Cuban foreign ministry said in an earlier
statement that the vessel was carrying 240
tonnes of "obsolete" defensive weapons - two
anti-aircraft missile complexes, nine missiles in
parts and spares, two MiG-21bis fighter planes
and 15 MiG engines.
It said they were all made in the mid-20th
Century and were to be repaired and returned to
Cuba. The ship's main cargo was 10,000 tonnes
of sugar.
Havana reaffirmed its commitment to "peace,
disarmament, including nuclear disarmament,
and respect for international law".
The vessel, called Chong Chon Gang, left Russia's
far east on 12 April and travelled across the
Pacific Ocean before entering the canal at the
start of June, with Cuba as its stated destination.
It was stopped near Manzanillo on the Atlantic
side of the canal last week, but Panama only
released details of the find on Tuesday.
The vessel disappeared from satellite tracking
systems after it left the Caribbean side of the
canal, resurfacing on 11 July.
Experts say this may indicate that the crew
switched off the system which automatically
communicates details of their location.
Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli posted
on his Twitter account an image of a large green
object inside a cargo container, saying it
contained suspected "sophisticated missile
equipment".
He added that even if the military cargo was
found to be "obsolete", it was still "illicit" to carry
it through Panamanian territory without prior
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