Canada boycotts U.N. group led by N. Korea

OTTAWA, July 12 (UPI) -- Canada's foreign affairs minister announced Monday the country will boycott the U.N. Conference on Disarmament until North Korea is no longer head of the group.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said he believes placing North Korea as the leader of the group, which is focused on disarmament and other arms control agreements, is ridiculous, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

"North Korea is simply not a credible chair at this United Nations body. The regime is a major proliferator of nuclear weapons and its non-compliance with its disarmament obligations goes against the fundamental principle of this committee," Baird said during a conference call with the media.

North Korea holds the chairmanship from June 28 through Aug. 19, during which time Canada will abstain from the committees' activities. So Se Pyong, North Korea's representative in the group, said he was committed to the group's work, and will continue to strengthen the committee's ability to produce results.

The United Nations Conference on Disarmament rotates its presidency through its 65 members, which include both Canada and North Korea, CTV reported.