DPRK Foreign Ministry Official Interviewed as Regards Issue of UN Human Rights Office in Cambodia

   Pyongyang, November 10 (KCNA) -- Hwang Chol, deputy director general of the Asian Department 2 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, was interviewed by KCNA on Nov. 10 with regard to the fact that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia branded the UN Human Rights Office in its country as an "illegal organization" on Nov. 6.
    He said that Cambodia expressed such attitude because the office has been active illegally nearly for a year since the validity of the MoU on cooperation which the office concluded with the ministry expired.
    He went on:
    What matters is that the office has blatantly violated the principle of respect for sovereignty and non-interference in other country's internal affairs, the basic principle of the international relations, meddling in Cambodia's political affairs.
    In this connection the Cambodian government clarified its stand that the Cambodian government would not renew the MoU unless the UN includes the wording in the MoU that it would respect the sovereignty of Cambodia and will not intervene in its internal affairs,
    This proves that although the UN pulls up other countries over "their human rights issues" every year, it is aligning itself with some forces' hostile acts against sovereign states in breach of the principle of impartiality in human rights issues.
    Hwang said that he was once again convinced that the human rights precisely mean sovereignty through the activities of the office, adding that the DPRK would firmly defend the sovereignty of the country and add luster to the advantages of Korean-style socialism centered on the popular masses, no matter what others may say. -0-