Canada, Australia to send military aircraft to monitor North Korean ships

The Canadian military is joining Britain, the U.S. and Australia in a new surveillance mission to monitor ship-to-ship transfers of oil and other goods to and from North Korea in violation of UN sanctions.

Canada is sending about 40 support personnel and a long-range patrol aircraft, a CP-140 Aurora, to theU.S. military's Kadenaair base on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, a spokesperson for the Canadiandefence department confirmed in a statement on Saturday.

The aircraftand personnelare from Canadian Forces BaseComoxinB.C.

Foreign Affairs MinisterChrystia Freelandand Defence Minister HarjitSajjan also issued statements saying the aim of Canada's participation in the operation is to "counter North Korea's maritime smuggling in accordance with relevant UNSC resolutions."

Australia's Prime MinisterMalcolm Turnbullconfirmed his country's role in the patrols on Saturday, a day after the leaders ofNorth andSouth Korea pledged at ahistoric summit to work for thecomplete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

• Koreas agree to work toward peace and 'complete denuclearization'
• Canadian sub on mission to bolster North Korea surveillance

U.S. President Donald Trump, who is also set tomeet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in either May or June,has said he would maintainpressure on Pyongyang through sanctions that were imposed in abid to rein in the North's missile and nuclear programs.

Australia, a staunch U.S. ally, also promised to keep upeconomic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea.

"We do have a P-8A surveillance aircraft that is going to beworking in the region to monitor compliance with sanctions, andthat is part of our collaboration with our partners in thatexercise to enforce those UNsanctions," Turnbull said,speaking during a televised news conference.

'Sanctions have been evaded'

"What has been occurring is that sanctions have been evadedby transferring materials from ship to ship ... to add to thesurveillance of the area enables that to be identified and then,of course, those who are a party to that to be held responsibleand brought to account."

Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said pressure hadto be kept on North Korea to ensure the Korean peninsula wasdenuclearized.

The move by Australia and Canada to deploy patrol aircraftcomes after a British warship arrived in Japan this month tojoin efforts to police UNsanctions imposed on North Koreaover its nuclear and missile programs.

"Japan welcomes these (surveillance) activities from theviewpoint of upholding the maximum pressure on North Koreawhile maintaining the solidarity of the internationalcommunity," the Japanese government said in a statement,referring to the moves by Australia, Canada and Britain.

Senior U.S. officials said in February the Trumpadministration and key Asian allies were preparing to expandinterceptions of ships suspected of violating the sanctions onNorth Korea. The strategy called for closer tracking of shipssuspected of carrying banned weapons components and otherprohibited cargo to and from North Korea.