Yemen Saturday received a shipment of 15 Scud ballistic missiles and fuel from North Korea, after the ship had been seized and later released by the United States and Spain, officials said (see GSN, Dec. 13).  The missiles will be taken to a base near the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, a Yemeni official said (The Hindu, Dec. 15).

Little Could Have Been Done

There was little the United States could have done to prevent the shipment from reaching Yemen, according to the New York Times.  While the United States and Spain were entitled to stop and seize the ship, which was flying no flag, the missile sale to Yemen was legal under international law, the Times reported.

The United States could have attempted to block Yemen from receiving the Scuds through bureaucratic measures, international lawyers said.  For example, since the North Korean ship was flying no flag, the United States could have held the ship until its last legal owner came forward to claim it.  Such tactics were not attempted, however, for fear of alienating Yemeni support for the war on terrorism, according to the Times.

Even though the missiles were ultimately sent on to Yemen, the seizure of the ship was beneficial in that it demonstrated that the United States can detect and stop clandestine arms transfers, White House officials said (Thom Shanker, New York Times, Dec. 15).

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