WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The Republic of Cyprus has joined a U.S.-led initiative to track and interdict missiles and weapons of mass destruction shipments from North Korea to the Middle East.

The Greek Cypriot government has concluded a ship-boarding agreement with the United States as part of the Proliferation Security Initiative. Under the agreement signed on July 25, Nicosia would halt any Cypriot- or American-flagged ship suspected of carrying ballistic missiles or WMD.

Officials said Cyprus became the fifth country and first European Union member to sign such an accord with the United States. Cyprus is the world's sixth-largest ship registry measured by gross tonnage of registered ships.

"The agreement also allows either side to authorize its flagged vessel to be boarded, its cargo searched, and even for the vessel and suspect cargo to be detained," the State Department said. "The new agreement does not, however, apply to third-party vessels."