다음은 조선닷컴 http://www.chosun.com 에 있는 기사임. 이 기사 뒤에 워싱턴타임스의 기사도 올릴것임. 입력 : 2007.05.12 08:30 http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/05/12/2007051200077.html "북 BDA자금 중계할 미국 은행 찾았다" 조지 부시 미국 행정부는 방코델타아시아(BDA) 동결자금 2천500만달러를 중계하려는 미국내 은행을 마침내 찾아냈으며 계좌 송금이 수일내 이뤄질 수 있을 것이라고 미 워싱턴 타임스가 11일 단독 보도했다. 이에 따라 불법자금이 일부 포함된 BDA 은행내 동결 북한자금의 중계은행을 찾기 위한 미 관리들의 지난 1주일간 노력이 마침내 결실을 보게 됐다고 신문은 전했다. 미 국무부와 재무부측 변호사들은 미 국내법을 위반하지 않고 BDA 은행내 52개 계좌에 분산돼 있는 북한관련 자금의 송금을 허용하는 최선의 방안을 찾고 있다고 타임스는 소개했다. 미 관리들은 그러나 북한자금의 중계의사를 밝힌 미 은행이 어떤 은행인지에 대해서는 구체적으로 언급하지 않았다. 다만 이 은행이 규모가 크거나 외부에 잘 알려져 있는 은행들 중의 하나는 아님을 시사했다. 앞서 재무부에 의해 '더러운 돈'으로 낙인찍힌 BDA 자금을 미 은행이 중계키로 한 것은 콘돌리자 라이스 국무, 헨리 폴슨 재무장관의 공동 결정에 따른 것이라고 신문은 미 관리들의 말을 인용, 보도했다. 특히 라이스 장관이 이처럼 전례없는 조치를 취한 것은 2.13 합의에 따른 북한의 영변 핵원자로 폐쇄의 마지막 걸림돌이 BDA 송금 이체 문제라는 판단에 따른 것이라고 신문은 지적했다. 크리스토퍼 힐 국무부 동아태담당 차관보도 10일 한 모임에서 북한 자금을 중계할 미 은행에 대해서는 구체적으로 밝히지 않으면서도 "이 문제가 매우 가까운 시일내 해결될 것이며, 이번에는 정말로 뭔가 결과가 있을 것으로 생각한다"며 강한 기대감을 피력했다. 로버트 키미트 재무부 부장관도 이날 기자들과 만나 "BDA 자금의 중계지로 미 은행을 찾아달라는 공식 요청이 없었다"면서도 "만약 그런 요청이 있으면 검토할 용의가 있다"고 긍정적 입장으로 돌아섰다. G8(서방선진7개국+러시아) 정상회의 준비차 독일을 방문한 니컬러스 번스 미 국무부 정무차관은 기자 간담회에서 "BDA에 관한 금융 해결책을 최종 마무리하기 위한 재무부와 힐 차관보의 작업이 계속되고 있다"며 "우리는 그렇게 될 수 있다고 자신한다"고 말했다고 미 국무부가 10일 전했다. 앞서 재무부는 BDA 자금 중계지로 미 은행이 결정됐다는 일부 보도에 대한 확인 요청에 "우리는 BDA 자금을 중계할 미국내 은행을 찾아달라는 요청을 받은 바 없다"고 일축했었다. ---------------------------------------------------- U.S. bank helps clear hurdle to shut reactor (THE WASHINGTON TIMES ) 다음은 THE WASHINGTON TIMES http://washingtontimes.com 에 있는 기사 임. 앞의 기사와 관련이 있음. U.S. bank helps clear hurdle to shut reactor By Nicholas Kralev THE WASHINGTON TIMES Published May 11, 2007 The Bush administration has found a U.S. bank willing to accept $25 million in North Korean funds, and officials hope the transfer -- the final hurdle to the closure of the North's main nuclear reactor -- can take place in the next few days, The Washington Times has learned. The resolution of the issue would end a weeks-long effort by U.S. officials to find a bank in any country that will agree to accept the money -- which has been linked to illicit activities -- in exchange for guarantees that it will not be penalized. Lawyers at the State and Treasury departments are seeking the best way to allow the transfer without breaking U.S. law. The money is currently deposited in 52 accounts at Macao's Banco Delta Asia (BDA), which was designated by the Treasury Department in 2005 as a "primary money-laundering concern" under Section 311 of the Patriot Act. U.S. officials did not identify the American bank, although they suggested that it is not one of the bigger and more recognizable institutions. The highly unusual decision to let North Korean money labeled by the Treasury as "dirty" be deposited in a U.S. bank -- entailing full access to the international financial system -- was made by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr., officials said. No official agreed to speak on the record because none was authorized to discuss the matter and no decision has been made to disclose the development publicly. Miss Rice's purpose, they said, was to remove what Pyongyang says is the only remaining obstacle to shutting down its Yongbyon nuclear complex, as agreed on Feb. 13 in six-party talks in Beijing. Mr. Paulson is said to have agreed with Miss Rice because he does not want to risk his good relations with Chinese officials. "I think we are getting to the point where we know how this is going to be solved," Christopher R. Hill, the top U.S. negotiator with the North, said yesterday in a speech to the Pittsburgh World Affairs Council. "Currently, what we are doing is to assist in ways that we can to allow the North Koreans to put those accounts into another bank, where they can make use of those accounts." Mr. Hill avoided mention of any particular bank, but predicted that the issue will be resolved "in the very near future." "This time, I think we really do have something," he said. He added that the United States was going to great lengths to find a new home for the $25 million "because we did agree to resolve" the issue as part of the six-nation talks, which also include China, Japan, South Korea and Russia. Pyongyang promised to close down Yongbyon by April 14 but missed the deadline, saying it will do nothing until the money leaves BDA and arrives safely in another bank. "The bank accounts are available," Mr. Hill said. "They can go withdraw the money in the local currency in Macao. They want to be able to move it to another bank. I think that was very much coming from the hard-liners" in Pyongyang. North Korea committed in principle to abandoning its nuclear weapons programs in a Sept. 19, 2005, joint statement with the other six-party members. Soon afterward, Washington alerted the Macao authorities about its money-laundering and counterfeiting concerns, and they froze the accounts in question. The State Department used the issue as leverage to force North Korea to return to the six-party talks late last year after an 18-month boycott. Having promised to resolve the BDA matter as part of the subsequent Feb. 13 agreement, Washington officially blacklisted BDA in March and then dropped its objection to the release of the $25 million. But it grossly underestimated the complexity of making the money available to Pyongyang. "The problem is, it has been difficult to take this money from a bank that has essentially been sanctioned by the U.S. as a money-laundering concern," Mr. Hill said yesterday. "And it has been difficult, frankly, through a lot of technical issues having to do with banks, to move the money to a different bank." Any bank that would accept the transfer in effect would be doing business with BDA, facing potential U.S. penalties. The Treasury so far has been unable to satisfy any third-country institution that it can safely handle the money, and diplomats said it might be easier to grant an exemption to an American bank. "If there is any requirement for an opinion from the Treasury Department as to whether or not this is a transaction that the financial institutions involved would feel comfortable doing, then the Treasury Department will take a look at that, see what it is that they can do," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Wednesday. "The main issue is to get BDA over and done with, to have it completed so we can get back to the six-party talks and focus on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula," he said.