A Yemeni government official has said the US has given the all-clear for a shipment of North Korean Scud missiles to be delivered to Yemen after the country delivered a strong protest against its interception by Spanish warships.
Yemen has said fifteen Scud missiles found on a ship stopped by the Spanish navy yesterday belong to its army and want them weapons returned.
The missiles - fitted with 15 highly explosive conventional warheads - were found aboard a North Korean ship stopped by two Spanish navy vessels off the coast of Yemen, Spain said today.
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Sacks of powdered cement hides crates containing SCUD missiles on board an unmarked North Korean ship off the coast of Yemen.
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The discovery provoked an angry reaction from the United States, and Britain said it would protest to North Korea while demanding an "urgent explanation" from Yemen, suspected of being the destination of the weapons.
Spanish Defence Minister Federico Trillo told reporters that the ship was headed for a "port in the Middle East". US investigators were inspecting the shipment, American officials said.
"The materials found aboard the So San are in a total of 23 containers in which there were 15 complete Scud missiles, 15 highly explosive conventional warheads, and 23 capsules of rocket fuel," the Spanish minister said.
Also found aboard were some 84 drums of unidentified chemicals.
The vessel was intercepted off the island of Socotra, and was not flying any flag but was registered in Phnom Penh, he said.
The Spanish warships had been patrolling in the area as part of an US-led multinational force in the "war on terror".
Agencies