Pompeo to urge southeast Asia bloc to keep up N.Korea sanctions pressure

U.S. Secretary of State MikePompeo will press southeast Asian nations in Singapore this weekto maintain sanctions against North Korea, a U.S. official saidon Tuesday, amid concerns that fuel is being sold illegally toPyongyang despite U.N. sanctions.

The senior State Department official, speaking to reportersto preview a trip by Pompeo to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysiathis week, declined to comment when asked whether Pompeo wouldmeet North Korean officials while in Singapore for a meeting ofthe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this weekend.

The official, however, said that North Korea willparticipate in a 27-nation regional ASEAN forum on Saturday thatPompeo will also attend.

"They will be in the room and there will certainly bediscussions about denuclearization of North Korea as theretraditionally are at these gatherings," the official toldreporters on a conference call to preview Pompeo's trip.

"I don't have any announcement today but it's natural to geta lot of business done ... but we are not there for anyannouncements," the official said.

The official added: "We remain concerned about the scale ofNorth Korea's illicit procurement, in particular of refinedpetroleum products via U.N.-prohibited ship-to-ship transfers.We plan to use these meetings to remind all countries of theirobligations and adherence of U.N. Security Council Resolutions."

Under the restrictions, Pyongyang is limited to importing 4million barrels of crude and 500,000 barrels of products a year.

Spysatellite findings

Pompeo has led talks with Pyongyang to denuclearizefollowing a June summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Unand U.S. President Donald Trump.

The official declined to comment on U.S. spy satellitematerial that has detected renewed activity at the North Koreanfactory that produced the country's first intercontinentalballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the UnitedStates.

"I don't have any comment on matters of intelligence," theofficial told reporters.

A senior U.S. official told Reuters on Monday one photoshowed a truck and covered trailer similar to those the Northhas used to move its ICBMs. Since the trailer was covered, itwas not possible to know what, if anything, it was carrying.

Photos and infrared imaging, however, indicate vehiclesmoving in and out of the facility at Sanumdong, but do not showhow advanced any missile construction might be.

The evidence obtained this month is the latest to suggestongoing activity in North Korea's nuclear and missilefacilities. Trump declared soon after the summit that NorthKorea no longer posed a nuclear threat.