DPRK FM Spokesman Refutes International Financial Body's False Report

Pyongyang, October 25 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry Friday gave the following answer to the question raised by KCNA as regards the release of a report finding fault with the financial system in the DPRK at a recent plenary meeting of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering in Paris:
    The DPRK strongly refutes the above-said report as a sinister attempt of hostile forces to tighten the financial sanctions against the DPRK and a wanton violation of its sovereignty and right to existence.
    The contents of the report are based on misinformation contrary to facts and, therefore, it doesn't deserve even a passing note. However, the DPRK can not overlook it as it was released at a time when it is making its sincere efforts to develop cooperative relations with the above-said body.
    By origin, the DPRK does not allow such practices as money laundering and financing of terrorism in the light of the nature of its social system.
    But the DPRK has done all it can as evidenced by the fact that it conducted negotiations with the body in consideration of the latter's continued requests for cooperation, ratified the international convention on restraining financial support to terrorism and submitted possible relevant data to the body.
    Nevertheless, this time the body persistently listed the DPRK as "a target of counter-action," keeping mum about its measures. This proves that the action was prompted by the sinister political attempt of certain forces to tarnish the DPRK's image at any cost and the body is playing into their hands.
    The DPRK holds that if the body is to perform its mission and role as a governmental international financial supervisory institution in name and reality, it should strictly abide by the principle of impartiality and objectivity and it is its invariable stand to develop the cooperative relations with such body. -0-