This is in marked contrast to the position America has taken with North Korea, despite the Asian nation's stunning revelation in October that it had an illicit nuclear-arms programme.

ECONOMIST: Now two rogues challenge Bush | The

The legislation also authorizes the U.S Government to offer rewards for information leading to the arrest or conviction of individuals involved in transnational organized crime, such as money laundering and trafficking in persons, arms, and illicit goods.

WHITEHOUSE: The White House

Its goal: to come up with ways technology can be used to help dismantle illicit networks, from the drug and arms trades to human trafficking.

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The U.N. has worked for more than a decade on an Arms Trade Treaty designed to limit the illicit trade of such weapons, but a final draft of the treaty is stalled.

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We decided to strengthen efforts to prevent and combat other transnational crimes, such as illicit drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, people smuggling, money laundering, arms smuggling, sea piracy, armed robbery against ships, cybercrime and other forms of international economic crime in accordance with national laws and regulations.

WHITEHOUSE: Joint Statement of the 4th ASEAN-U.S. Leaders' Meeting

The Security Council, condemning the continuing illicit traffic of weapons in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, decided this morning to extend and expand the arms embargo there and its related sanctions regime until 30 November 2010.

UN: Security Council