Sudan military council, opposition reach power-sharing agreement - Aljazeera.com

Sudan's ruling generals and a coalition of protest and opposition groups have reached an agreement to share power during a transition period until elections, in a deal that could break weeks of political deadlock since the overthrowing of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Both sides agreed to establish a joint military-civilian sovereign council that will rule the country by rotation "for a period of three years or slightly more", Mohamed Hassan Lebatt, African Union (AU) mediator, said at a news conference on Friday.

Under the agreement, five seats would go to the military and five to civilians, with an additional seat given to a civilian agreed upon by both sides

The ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the civilian leaders also agreed to launch a "transparent and independent investigation" into the violence that began on June 3 when scores of pro-democracy demonstrators were killed in a brutal military crackdown on a protest camp in the capital, Khartoum.

TMC deputy head General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is widely known as Hemeti, welcomed Friday's deal, which, he said, would be inclusive.

"We would like to reassure all political forces, armed movements and all those who participated in the change from young men and women … that this agreement will be comprehensive and will not exclude anyone," added Dagalo, who also heads the feared paramilitary unit Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused by the demonstrators of crushing the sit-in outside the military headquarters.

Omar al-Degair, a leader of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), an umbrella organisation of opposition groups, said the agreement "opens the way for the formation of the institutions of the transitional authority, and we hope that this is the beginning of a new era". 

In a statement on Friday morning, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which is part of the FFC, said the transition period would last three years and three months.

Mohamed al-Hacen Lebatt (left), AU envoy to Sudan, sits next to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo as he shakes hands with an army general following a press conference in Khartoum [Ebrahim Hamid/ AFP]

The military would lead the sovereign council for the first 21 months, and a civilian would take over for the remaining 18 months, it said. The FFC would appoint a cabinet of ministers, the SPA said, adding that a legislative council would be formed after the appointment of the sovereign council and the cabinet. 

The two sides also agreed to set up a committee of lawyers, including jurists from the AU, to finalise the agreement within 48 hours. 

Sudan protesters demand accountability for killing of civilians (2:16)

Mass protests

The deal came after two days of talks following the collapse of the previous round of negotiations in the wake of the crackdown on the protest camp. Opposition medics say more than 100 people were killed in the dispersal and subsequent violence on June 3. Officials put the death toll at 62.

The TMC and the opposition coalition have been wrangling for weeks over what form Sudan's transitional government should take after the military deposed al-Bashir on April 11 after months of mass protests against his 30-year rule.

Protesters had remained in the streets following al-Bashir's toppling, fearing the generals intended to cling to power or preserve some form of authoritarian rule.

The AU and neighbouring Ethiopia stepped up mediation efforts to end the crisis and negotiations resumed earlier this week, following massive protests last weekend in which tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Sudan's main cities in the biggest show of numbers since the June 3 crackdown.

Sudanese protestors celebrate in the streets of Khartoum after ruling generals and protest leaders announced they have reached an agreement on the disputed issue of a new governing body [Ashraf Shazly/ AFP] 

'More guarantees'

In Khartoum, thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate the breakthrough. But many called for continued protests and pressure on the military to implement its side of the deal. 

"We would like to see many more guarantees from the TMC because they've made many promises on handing over power only to backtrack later on," said Mohamed Ismail, a 34-year-old engineer who was part of a crowd in Khartoum's al-Sahafa area.   

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Ashraf Mohamed Ali, another protester, called the agreement a "good move for Sudan". 

"It is important to see the implementation of the deal on the ground because the TMC's actions over the past month proves this council is not serious about giving up power to civilians," he told Al Jazeera via telephone. 

"And so to have an agreement is in itself a good thing. I am happy but we want to see the deal being implemented." 

Welcoming the two sides' decision to launch an investigation into the June 3 killings, Ali said "any deal that doesn't include a real investigation isn't going to be satisfying for the majority of the civilians." 

The protesters were not happy about the possibility of Hemeti "being part of a new government", Ali said, referring to the RSF's role in dispersing the Khartoum protest camp.

"But this is the reality," he said. "The RSF control everything in Sudan. So if you want to make a deal or if you want to have a civilian government, you need to know how to deal with them, in a way that could serve your agenda and without dragging the country into war."

The United Arab Emirates, which backs the TMC, congratulated the two sides on the power-sharing deal.

"We hope that the next phase will witness the foundation of a constitutional system that will strengthen the role of institutions with broad national and popular support," UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a post on Twitter. 

Abu Dhabi will stand with Khartoum in "good times and bad times", he added. 

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2019-07-05 08:36:00Z
CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDE5LzA3L3N1ZGFuLW1pbGl0YXJ5LWNvdW5jaWwtb3Bwb3NpdGlvbi1yZWFjaC1wb3dlci1zaGFyaW5nLWFncmVlbWVudC0xOTA3MDUwMTMzMzIzODUuaHRtbNIBf2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vYW1wL25ld3MvMjAxOS8wNy9zdWRhbi1taWxpdGFyeS1jb3VuY2lsLW9wcG9zaXRpb24tcmVhY2gtcG93ZXItc2hhcmluZy1hZ3JlZW1lbnQtMTkwNzA1MDEzMzMyMzg1Lmh0bWw

Sudan military council, opposition reach power-sharing agreement - Aljazeera.com

Sudan's ruling generals and a coalition of protest and opposition groups have reached an agreement to share power during a transition period until elections, in a deal that could break weeks of political deadlock since the overthrowing of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Both sides agreed to establish a joint military-civilian sovereign council that will rule the country by rotation "for a period of three years or slightly more", Mohamed Hassan Lebatt, African Union (AU) mediator, said at a news conference on Friday.

Under the agreement, five seats would go to the military and five to civilians, with an additional seat given to a civilian agreed upon by both sides

The ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the civilian leaders also agreed to launch a "transparent and independent investigation" into the violence that began on June 3 when scores of pro-democracy demonstrators were killed in a brutal military crackdown on a protest camp in the capital, Khartoum.

Omar al-Degair, a leader of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), an umbrella organisation of opposition groups, said the agreement "opens the way for the formation of the institutions of the transitional authority, and we hope that this is the beginning of a new era". 

In a statement on Friday morning, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which is part of the FFC, said the transition period would last three years and three months.

Mohamed al-Hacen Lebatt (left), AU envoy to Sudan, sits next to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo as he shakes hands with an army general following a press conference in Khartoum [Ebrahim Hamid/ AFP]

The military would lead the sovereign council for the first 21 months, and a civilian would take over for the remaining 18 months, it said. The FFC would appoint a cabinet of ministers, the SPA said, adding that a legislative council will be formed after the appointment of the sovereign council and the cabinet. 

The two sides also agreed to set up a committee of lawyers, including jurists from the AU, to finalise the agreement within 48 hours. 

Sudan protesters demand accountability for killing of civilians (2:16)

Mass protests

The deal came after two days of talks following the collapse of the previous round of negotiations following  the crackdown on the protest camp. Opposition medics say more than 100 people were killed in the dispersal and subsequent violence on June 3. Officials put the death toll at 62.

The TMC and the opposition coalition have been wrangling for weeks over what form Sudan's transitional government should take after the military deposed al-Bashir on April 11 in the wake of mass protests against his 30-year rule.

Protesters had remained in the streets following al-Bashir's toppling, fearing the generals intended to cling to power or preserve some form of authoritarian rule.

The AU and neighbouring Ethiopia stepped up mediation efforts to end the crisis and n egotiations resumed earlier this week, following massive protests last weekend in which tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Sudan's main cities in the biggest show of numbers since the June 3 crackdown.

Sudanese protestors celebrate in the streets of Khartoum after ruling generals and protest leaders announced they have reached an agreement on the disputed issue of a new governing body [Ashraf Shazly/ AFP] 

TMC deputy head General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is widely known as Hemeti, welcomed Friday's deal, which, he said, would be inclusive.

"We would like to reassure all political forces, armed movements and all those who participated in the change from young men and women … that this agreement will be comprehensive and will not exclude anyone," added Dagalo, who also heads the feared paramilitary unit Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused by the demonstrators of crushing the sit-in outside the military headquarters.

'More guarantees'

In Khartoum, thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate the breakthrough. But many called for continued protests and pressure on the military to implement its side of the deal. 

"We would like to see many more guarantees from the TMC because they've made many promises on handing over power only to backtrack later on," said Mohamed Ismail, a 34-year-old engineer who was part of a crowd in Khartoum's al-Sahafa area.   

190701190837656

Ashraf Mohamed Ali, another protester, called the agreement a "good move for Sudan". 

"It is important to see the implementation of the deal on the ground because the TMC's actions over the past month proves this council is not serious about giving up power to civilians," he told Al Jazeera via telephone. 

"And so to have an agreement is in itself a good thing. I am happy but we want to see the deal being implemented." 

Welcoming the two sides' decision to launch an investigation into the June 3 killings, Ali said "any deal that doesn't include a real investigation isn't going to be satisfying for the majority of the civilians". 

The protesters were not happy about the possibility of Hemeti "being part of a new government," Ali said, referring to the RSF's role in dispersing the Khartoum protest camp.

"But this is the reality," he said. "The RSF control everything in Sudan. So if you want to make a deal or if you want to have a civilian government, you need to know how to deal with them, in a way that could serve your agenda and without dragging the country into war."

The United Arab Emirates, which backs Sudan's military, congratulated the TMC and protest leaders on the power-sharing deal.

"We hope that the next phase will witness the foundation of a constitutional system that will strengthen the role of institutions with broad national and popular support," UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a post on Twitter. 

Abu Dhabi will stand with Khartoum in "good times and bad times", he added. 

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2019-07-05 08:25:00Z
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Iran summons UK ambassador in tanker seizure row - BBC News

Iran has summoned the British ambassador in Tehran to complain about what it says was the illegal seizure of an Iranian oil tanker.

British Royal Marines helped the authorities in Gibraltar seize the ship because of evidence it was heading to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.

Spain's acting foreign minister said the seizure of the ship - Grace 1 - was at the US's request.

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said detaining its tanker was illegal.

Gibraltar port and law enforcement agencies detained the super tanker and its cargo on Thursday morning with the help of the marines.

The BBC has been told a team of about 30 marines, from 42 Commando, were flown from the UK to Gibraltar to help, at the request of the Gibraltar government.

The team boarded the Panama-flagged ship from a helicopter by rope. No shots were fired.

A defence source described it as a "relatively benign operation" without major incident.

However, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi was later quoted as saying the UK's ambassador in Tehran, Robert Macaire, had been summoned over the "illegal seizure" of the tanker.

In a brief interview for Iranian TV's Channel Two, Mr Mousavi said the seizure was "a form of piracy" and did not have any legal and international basis. He called for the tanker to be immediately released to continue its journey.

He added that "the move indicated that the UK follows the hostile policies of the US, which is unacceptable for the Iranian nation and government".

Analysis: Britain would not have acted to enforce US measures

By James Robbins, BBC diplomatic correspondent

It's clear that this seizure was to enforce EU sanctions against Syria, not US sanctions against Iran.

But it looks as if both the US and the UK had been tracking the movements of Grace 1 throughout its curious voyage from the Gulf to the Mediterranean.

Curious because such a valuable cargo of oil would normally be taken via the Suez Canal, even if that means using more than one vessel and transhipping the oil because not all super-tankers can squeeze through. It's a massive shortcut.

Instead, in this instance the master took his vessel and controversial cargo the very long route around the southern tip of Africa - the Cape. Was that a smokescreen to conceal its apparent destination - the Mediterranean coast of Syria?

The Americans were acutely interested because they are determined to prevent Iran profiting from oil sales which breach US sanctions.

Britain, by contrast, would not have acted to enforce US measures.

But when the super-tanker, all 330 metres of it, entered EU waters, specifically Gibraltar waters, the British authorities judged they had no choice but to enforce EU sanctions against Syria which the UK pushed for and strongly supports.

Brussels was not involved in the seizure decision. It is not a matter for EU institutions to enforce customs law. That is a responsibility of member states.

However, the Iranian charge that Britain was doing the Americans bidding may be hard to shake off.

That matters because it fuels an Iranian conviction that Europe only pays lip service to its continuing commitment to the hard-won nuclear deal - the deal which Donald Trump repudiated and does not want to survive.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the swift action by the authorities in Gibraltar and the Royal Marines would deny valuable resources to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's "murderous regime".

Gibraltar said there was reason to believe the ship was carrying Iranian crude oil to the Baniyas Refinery in the Syrian Mediterranean port town of Tartous.

The refinery is a subsidiary of the General Corporation for Refining and Distribution of Petroleum Products, a section of the Syrian ministry of petroleum.

The EU says the facility therefore provides financial support to the Syrian government, which is subject to sanctions because of its repression of civilians since the start of the uprising against President Assad in 2011.

The refinery has been subject to EU sanctions since 2014.

US-Iran tension

This latest row comes at a time of escalating tensions between the US and Iran.

The Trump administration - which has pulled out of an international agreement on Tehran's nuclear programme - has reinforced punishing sanctions against Iran. Its European allies have not followed suit.

Also last month, the US accused Iran of attacking two oil tankers with mines just outside the Strait of Hormuz - an accusation denied by Iran.

Days later, an unmanned US drone was shot down by Iranian forces in the Gulf.

Iran said it had violated Iranian airspace and would send a "clear message to America". The US insisted the drone had been over international waters. President Donald Trump tweeted: "Iran made a very big mistake!"

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2019-07-04 18:45:51Z
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Britain seizes tanker suspected of carrying oil to Syria, which could exacerbate Iran tensions - NBC News

LONDON — British Royal Marines seized an oil tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday accused of bringing oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, a dramatic step that could escalate confrontation between the West and Iran.

The Grace 1 tanker was impounded in the British territory at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea after sailing around Africa from the Middle East.

Shipping data reviewed by Reuters suggests it had been loaded with Iranian oil off the coast of Iran, although its documents say the oil is from neighboring Iraq.

The authorities in Gibraltar made no reference to the source of the oil when they seized it under the authority of European sanctions against Syria that have been in place for years.

But the likelihood that the cargo was Iranian drew a link between the incident and a new U.S. effort to halt all global sales of Iranian crude, which Tehran has described as an illegal "economic war" against it.

European countries have tried to stay neutral in that confrontation, which saw the United States call off air strikes against Iran just minutes before impact last month, and Tehran amass stocks of enriched uranium banned under a 2015 nuclear deal.

In a statement, the Gibraltar government said it had reasonable grounds to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Baniyas refinery in Syria.

"That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria," Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said. "With my consent, our port and law enforcement agencies sought the assistance of the Royal Marines in carrying out this operation."

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed Gibraltar's move, though the incident could also signal some tensions within Europe.

July 3, 201901:29

Spain, which challenges British ownership of Gibraltar, said the action was prompted by a U.S. request to Britain and appeared to have taken place in Spanish waters. Britain's Foreign Office did not respond to a request for comment.

July 3, 201901:29

While Europe has banned oil shipments to Syria since 2011, it had never seized a tanker at sea.

"This is the first time that the EU has done something so public and so aggressive. I imagine it was also coordinated in some manner with the U.S. given that NATO member forces have been involved," said Matthew Oresman, a partner with law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman who advises firms on sanctions.

"This is likely to have been meant as a signal to Syria and Iran — as well as the U.S. — that Europe takes sanctions enforcement seriously and that the EU can also respond to Iranian brinkmanship related to ongoing nuclear negotiations."

Iran has long been supplying its allies in Syria with oil despite such sanctions.

But U.S. sanctions have been tightened sharply since May, effectively forcing Iran off of mainstream crude markets, making it desperate for alternative ways to sell oil and more reliant on its tanker fleet to store supplies it cannot sell. The sanctions have also choked off Tehran's Syrian allies, causing fuel shortages in government-controlled areas.

Ship mapping records from data firm Refinitiv show that in the latest case the Grace 1 sailed to the Mediterranean around the southern tip of Africa, instead of via Egypt's Suez Canal. The 300,000-tonne Panamanian-flagged tanker is registered as being managed by Singapore-based IShips Management Pte Ltd. Reuters was unable to establish contact with them for comment.

It was documented as loading fuel oil in the Iraqi port of Basra in December, though Basra did not list it as being in port and its tracking system was switched off. The tanker then reappeared on tracking maps near Iran's port of Bandar Assalyeh, fully loaded.

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2019-07-04 15:36:00Z
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Gibraltar Seizes Syria-Bound Tanker Thought to Be Carrying Iranian Oil - The New York Times

LONDON — The authorities in Gibraltar on Thursday detained a supertanker that they said was carrying crude oil to Syria, a violation of European Union sanctions against Syria.

Spain said the vessel had been detained at the request of the United States, and Iran summoned the British ambassador over what a Foreign Ministry spokesman called an “illegal” seizure. American and British officials had no immediate response on Thursday.

Shipping experts said that the tanker, the Grace 1, appeared to be carrying Iranian cargo in the Strait of Gibraltar, in an apparent attempt to circumvent United States sanctions imposed by President Trump to choke off Iran’s exports of oil and petrochemical products.

Companies that monitor international shipping say that the vessel turned off its electronic tracking devices as it sailed into Iranian waters, then turned them on again after leaving — a tactic often used to evade the sanctions, though ships can still be followed through satellite photography.

The government of Gibraltar, a British territory contested by Spain, declined to comment on the cargo’s origin, but addressed its destination.

“We have reason to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Banyas Refinery in Syria,” Fabian Picardo, chief minister of Gibraltar, said in a statement. “That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria.”

Spain’s acting foreign minister, Josep Borrell, told Spanish news media that the oil tanker had been seized following “a request from the United States to the United Kingdom.”

Mr. Borrell, who is set to take over as the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said that the Spanish government had been kept informed about the seizure, and would study whether it violated its territorial water claims. Spain does not recognize Britain’s sovereignty over Gibraltar, which dates to a 1713 treaty.

“We’re looking at which way this affects our sovereignty, in as far as it took place in waters whose sovereignty we understand to belong to Spain,” Mr. Borrell said, according to the Europa Press news agency and other news reports.

A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Sayed Abbas Mousavi, said in a post on Twitter, that Britain’s ambassador to Iran, Rob Macaire, had been summoned to the Iranian Embassy over the seizure of the vessel.

The British Foreign Office had no immediate response on Thursday afternoon. The United States National Security Council also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Samir Madani, a co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, which follows maritime traffic using satellite data, said the ship was anchored near the Iranian oil terminal at Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf in mid-April. Later, he said, it sat deep in the water, indicating that it was carrying oil from Iran.

The tanker, which exceeds the size limits for the Suez Canal, sailed around Africa to reach the Mediterranean, ending up in Gibraltar for unexplained reasons.

“For some odd reason they decided to go to Gibraltar,” Mr. Madani said.

Various shipping websites list the tanker as a 300,000-ton vessel more than 1,000 feet long, built in the 1990s and flying the flag of Panama.

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2019-07-04 14:26:15Z
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Gibraltar Detains Syria-Bound Tanker Thought to Be Carrying Iranian Oil - The New York Times

LONDON — The authorities in Gibraltar on Thursday detained a supertanker that they said was carrying crude oil to Syria, in violation of European Union sanctions against Syria.

Shipping experts said that the tanker, the Grace 1, appeared to be carrying Iranian cargo, in an apparent attempt to circumvent United States sanctions imposed by President Trump to choke off Iran’s exports of oil and petrochemical products.

Companies that monitor international shipping say that the vessel turned off its electronic tracking devices as it sailed into Iranian waters, then turned them on again after leaving — a tactic often used to evade the sanctions, though ships can still be followed through satellite photography.

The government of Gibraltar, a British territory, declined to comment on the cargo’s origin, but addressed its destination.

“We have reason to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Banyas Refinery in Syria,” Fabian Picardo, chief minister of Gibraltar, said in a statement. “That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria.”

Spain’s acting foreign minister, Josep Borrell, told Spanish news media that the oil tanker had been seized following “a request from the United States to the United Kingdom.”

Mr. Borrell, who is set to take over as the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said that the Spanish government had been kept informed about the seizure, and would study whether it violated its territorial water claims. Spain does not recognize Britain’s sovereignty over Gibraltar, which dates to a 1713 treaty.

“We’re looking at which way this affects our sovereignty, in as far as it took place in waters whose sovereignty we understand to belong to Spain,” Mr. Borrell said, according to the Europa Press news agency and other news reports.

Samir Madani, a co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, which follows maritime traffic using satellite data, said the ship was anchored near the Iranian oil terminal at Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf in mid-April. Later, he said, it sat deep in the water, indicating that it was carrying oil from Iran.

The tanker, which exceeds the size limits for the Suez Canal, sailed around Africa to reach the Mediterranean, ending up in Gibraltar for unexplained reasons.

“For some odd reason they decided to go to Gibraltar,” Mr. Madani said.

Various shipping websites list the tanker as a 300,000-ton vessel more than 1,000 feet long, built in the 1990s and flying the flag of Panama.

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2019-07-04 12:19:03Z
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Alek Sigley: Why Sweden helped free Australian student in N Korea - BBC News

When Australian student Alek Sigley went missing in North Korea last week, Canberra turned to a country more than 15,000km (9,320 miles) away for help.

The Scandinavian nation of Sweden has a long history of acting as diplomatic intermediary in the isolated dictatorship - a so-called "protecting power" for several Western nations.

On Thursday, it emerged that negotiations to free the 29-year-old had been successful. It's still unclear why he was detained.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison thanked Sweden for its help, expressing his "deepest gratitude to the Swedish authorities for their invaluable assistance."

Australia, like most Western nations, doesn't have its own embassy in the closed-off country. But Sweden does and has for nearly 50 years.

In fact, it became first Western country to establish formal diplomatic relations with North Korea in 1973. The UK, in comparison, first sent an ambassador to North Korea only in 2002.

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Negotiating the release of Mr Sigley - who studies Korean literature at Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang - is not the first time Sweden has helped other countries with tricky diplomatic affairs.

It has in the past represented British interests in Iran when relations with Tehran have broken down, including in 1989 when Iran's supreme leader issued a fatwa ordering Muslims to kill the novelist Salman Rushdie.

A history of neutrality

Stockholm's special role is based on a long tradition of neutrality. This dates back to the early 19th Century, when Sweden took the position that it was best to be free of military alliances in peacetime so it could stay neutral if war broke out.

That meant that during the Cold War between the communist eastern and capitalist western blocs, Sweden tried to take a neutral middle position.

It similarly took a neutral position on the Korean peninsula. At the end of the Korean War in 1953, the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission - comprised of Sweden, Switzerland, Poland and Czechoslovakia - was set up to oversee the armistice that ended the Korean war.

After the fall of the Iron Curtain, North Korea expelled the Polish and Czechoslovakian observers in the 1990s.

"[But] the Swiss and Swedes [were] still there. This [caused] both countries to take a greater role in Korea than otherwise," Fyodor Tertitskiy, an expert on North Korea, told the BBC.

Prisoner releases

Sweden's role as an intermediary with Pyongyang has included handling consular affairs for the United States.

"Sweden has agreed with the US to represent the consular interest of [its] nationals in the DPRK," former deputy head of mission at the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang Martina Aberg Somogyi told specialist North Korea site NK News last year.

"If it comes to our attention that a US national is in need of support we will offer this to the best of our ability and work as hard we can to resolve that situation."

Washington - like Canberra - has no North Korean embassy or consulate and Sweden acts as what is known in diplomatic parlance as a "protecting power".

Ahead of the landmark Trump-Kim summit in Singapore in 2018, North Korea's foreign minister even flew to Sweden for talks.

Sweden has also often helped with the release of US citizens held by the North.

The most high-profile recent case was that of US student Otto Warmbier, who was jailed in North Korea in 2016 after being accused of stealing a propaganda sign during an organised tour.

He spent 17 months in detention, and later died days after he was returned to the US in a coma.

Ms Somogyi said helping foreign citizens had "definitely been some of the most challenging work that me and my colleagues have engaged in on a professional but also personal level".

Diplomatic life in Pyongyang

Sweden's role in North Korea is not limited to helping Westerners in distress. It also performs other functions, such as following up on Swedish humanitarian assistance to North Korea and issuing visas to North Korean residents travelling to Europe's Schengen area.

There are currently two Swedish diplomats based full-time in Pyongyang.

But those who have worked in the embassy say that there is still a lack of mutual understanding between North Koreans and Swedes.

"New initiatives and ideas are always met with deep suspicion," Swedish diplomat August Borg told NK News in 2015.

"Even if we just want to visit a project that Sweden is financing, preparations need to be made a long time ahead."

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2019-07-04 12:12:10Z
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