Text Fwd: [Translation] Koreans' response on the Lee Myung Bak government's plan to dispatch troops to the UAE [번역] 정부의 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠 파병 계획에 대한 한국 반응

* Image source: Pan Korean Alliance for Reunification (PKAR), South Korean branch, Aug. 31, 2010

'No sanction on Iran!' by 48 organizations, Seoul, South Korea, on Aug. 31, 2010

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* Related blogs/ articles 관련 블로그/ 기사

Stop NATO
Xinhua News Agency, Nov. 6, 2010
South Korean Special Forces In Persian Gulf Raise Questions
남한 특전부대 페르시아만 군대 파견, 의문을 일으킴

Friday, November 5, 2010
Text Fwd: [Hankyoreh Editorial] Opportunistic troop deployment
[한겨레 논평] 기회적인 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠 군대 파병안

Thursday, November 4, 2010
Text Fwd: Seoul to dispatch troops to UAE
서울, 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠에 군대 파견 계획

Sunday, September 12, 2010
[In update] Some collections on the Koreans’ protests against the sanction & war on Iran
이란에 대한 경제 제재와 전쟁에 반대하는 한국인들의 시위

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* The below is some summary translations from the various South Korean organizations' statements and commentaries upon the subject. Please be generous to any of my possible mistakes with which I might have missed some important points by the Korean activists.

In reference, ROK means Republic of Korea (South Korea), while UAE, United Arab Emirates.

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Referred:

1. Nov. 4 statement by the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD)

참여 연대 논평 국문 원문은 여기를 클릭

2. Nov. 4 statement by the Anti-War Peace Solidarity* (composed of about 45 organizations)

반전 평화 연대 국문 원문은 여기를 클릭

3. Nov. 4 statement by the People's Solidarity for Social Progress (PSSP) and Nov. 6 commentary by Cheong Wooksik, Peace Network

사회 진보 연대 논평 원문(국문 클릭), 정욱식, 평화넷트워크 글 클릭

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1. One of them is by the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), which I made translation of only some parts and put in the blog on Nov. 5, 2010, as the below:

People's Solidarity Participatory Democracy (PSPD),
[PSPD commentary] The baseless plan to dispatch troops to the UAE should be withdrawn!
Nov. 4, 2010

-[ROK government’s plan to] deploy troops to a non-conflict area without reason or basis [hides its] intention of military power extension.
-[The government and Grand National Party] should withdraw their troop-dispatch plan and clarify whether there was a secret agreement on the export of the nuclear power plant and dispatch of troops.

: We cannot but be shocked by the [ROK] government that has unilaterally and secretly driven the [plan to] dispatch combat troops to the United Arab Emirates and at its attitude with which it attempts to impurely extend [ROK] military power, under its blind cause of national interest.

: We greatly concern about the [prospect] that the troop dispatch to the United Arab Emirates could be a launching sign to open the way to dispatch troops to non-conflict areas.

: Further, [the plan] itself to dispatch troops to the geopolitically very sensitive middle east region and to strengthen military power with it is dangerous. One should not overlook the political, diplomatic waves that would be caused by the dispatch of combat troops to the United Arab Emirates.

: If one looks at the documents by the Ministry of National Defense, it is confirmed that [the ministry] has vigorously discussed with the UAE about the cooperation on military power since its process of the contract on nuclear power plant [with the latter] last year and it has even dispatched the [practical affairs committee] on troop dispatch [to the UAE] last month. The [ROK] government has, all these days, constantly denied the claim that there was its promise on the military support [to the UAE] at the price of receiving contact on nuclear power plant. However the [revealed] plan to dispatch troops this time shows that such suspicion could be a truth with high possibility.

: The People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) demands that [the ROK] government should immediately withdraw such plan of no cause nor basis to dispatch troops to the UAE. The National Assemble should resolutely reject the government’s request to pass the bill on it. What the government and National Assembly should do is to make clear the detailed contents of the contract around the export of nuclear power plant to the UAE, which it is hiding now, and [the suspicion] of whether it promised the troop dispatch for the price of the receiving the contract on nuclear power plant [from the UAE].

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2. The 2nd is by the Anti-War Peace Solidarity that is composed of about 45 organizations on Nov. 4, 2010. The whole translation of its statement is as the below. For the original Korean statement, click HERE or HERE.

Immediately stop the drive for the dispatch of the special forces to the UAE!

The Ministry of National Defense issued [on Nov. 3] that it would dispatch the 130 personnel of the special troop units to the UAE. The [ROK] government is saying that after it would go through the review & resolution on it in the cabinet meeting on [Nov.] 9 and pass the bill on it in the National Assembly, it would dispatch troops within this year, even before the purpose and justice of the dispatch [plan] this time is debated.

Ever since the [ROK] exported the nuclear power plant to the UAE, various suspicions such as those from the contract size to military cooperation [between the two nations] have been raised. Nevertheless, the [ROK] government hasn’t ever openly made public of any information on that. Currently, the Middle East is being afflicted by the domination policy of the United States. Especially since the United States is applying double standards [to Iran] on her construction of nuclear power plant, to contain her, the U. S. -friendly nations in the Middle East are competitively constructing nuclear power plants that are possible even for the development of nuclear weapons. In addition to it, the Lee Myung-Bak government is driving for an aggressive sale plans toward the Middle East region, announcing that [the ROK] should leap to the 7^th nation among the arms export countries.

While the Lee Myung-Bak government that has enforced the re-deployment to the invasive war like that of Afghanistan and has sent the military to the Gulf of Aden, Somalia, where ‘the 2^nd war against terror’ is occurring, it attempts to sale nuclear power plant [to the UAE] even with troop-dispatch now!

The Ministry of National Defense saying that, “Different from the dispatch [as the participating nation of] the UN PKO or of the multi-national, the dispatch [to the UAE] comes from a new concept that would contribute to strengthen military cooperation and create national interest in the non-conflict regions of non combat-danger but of safety,” is covering its dispatch [plan] to the UAE this time. However, different from the Ministry’s saying, there still remains the possibility that [the ROK] would be caught in conflicts any time. Especially if the dispatch-planned troops are in charge of the responsibility for the works related to the security of nuclear power plant, they could be caught in arms collisions. The Ministry of National Defense and Lee Myung-Bak government who are again betraying their people, by saying that the dispatch to the UAE is safe, should immediately stop the drive for the dispatch of their special forces to the UAE!

Nov. 4, 2010

Anti-War Peace Solidarity*:

Imagination for International Solidarity; International Center for Labor Solidarity; Christian Social Mission Solidarity Council; Solidarity for the Practice of the SK-NK Joint Statement*; The Association for Migrant Workers’ Human Rights; Farmers’ Pharmacy*; All Together; Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea; Rangzen; Supporting Committee for Prisoners of Conscience; Democratic Labor Party; Central Council for the Nation’s Self-Reliance, Peace, and Reunification*; Korean Democratic Workers’ Council*; Association of the Family Movements for Democracy Practice*; Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities; Korea Council for Democratic Martyr; Korean Federation of Medical Groups for Health Rights; Buddhism Peace Solidarity*; Pan Korean Association for Reconciliation(Inc.); Revolution 4.19 Committee*; Pan Korean Bereaved Families’ Association for Democracy Movement (Inc.)*; Socialist Party of Korea; People’s Solidarity for Social Progress; Council for the Drive on Our Nation’s Unification through Federation System*; Living with Jesus; June 15 Youth and Student’s Solidarity*; 21st Century Pan Korean University Students’ Association*; Hunger Strike Comrades’ Council for the Withdrawal of Troops, 2005*; Korean Peasants League; Pan Korean Bereaved Families’ Association for Nation and Democracy*; Pan Korean Public Service Workers’ Union*; Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Pan Korean Poor People’s Association for Liberation*; Pan Korean Women’s Solidarity; Pan Korean Students’ March*; Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification of Korea, South Korea branch; New Progressive Party; Unification Square; Intifada Korea (Peace Solidarity with Palestine*); Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea; Friends for Peace*; Veterans for Peace, Corea; Pan Korean University Students’ Association*; Workers Institute of Social Science; Korean Alliance of Progressive Movements; Corea Catholic Farmers' Movement)

(* Marked are temporary translations)

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3. The third is the translations of some excerpts from the statement by the organization called People's Solidarity for Social Progress (PSSP) on Nov. 4 and from the commentary by Cheong Wooksik, representative of Peace Network on Nov. 6.

Like the above translated statements, the People’s Solidarity for Social Progress (PSSP), through its four-points statement titled, ‘Immediately stop the attempt on a dispatch to the UAE, without any basis!’ on Nov. 4, 2010, also raises the issue of ambiguous dispatch to the UAE, citing the remarks of the Ministry of National Defense who said that, “The UAE, not our special forces who would not take part in, is in charge of patrol for the nuclear power plant whose construction will be started from January next year,” and that “ The stationing site of the dispatched special forces is remote more than 300Km from the nuclear power plant construction site.”

The PSSP also concerns about that the dispatch to the UAE would heighten military tension in the Middle East. In the third point of its statement, it says as below:

‘The Arab Emirate is in face to face with Iran. The Arab Emirate and Iran have been in the territory conflicts on the three Islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb. Especially as the United States has strengthened sanction against Iran and the UAE has ordered to all the financial groups in the UAE to freeze 41 accounts related to the personnel/ institutes of Iran and to stop financial transaction with her last June, the conflicts between [the UAE and Iran] are being amplified. In a situation when the relationship between Iran and South Korea is being aggravated as the ROK government has taken part in [the United States’] sanction against Iran, the [ROK plan] to dispatch special forces to the UAE that has historically and politically been in conflict [with Iran] and to help her military power build-up is far from the ‘dispatch to a safe non-conflict area’ that is an explanation by the Ministry of National Defense and is predicted of [the ROK’s] deep involvement in the complicated political situation of the Middle East. It is like a kindling beside a powder magazine.’

Cheong Wooksik, representative of Peace Network also raises same concern. In his Nov. 6 commentary he says:

'Early in last July, the UAE ambassador to the United States, saying, “We cannot live with the nuclear armed Iran,’ stated that the mid and long term interests following the attack on Iran would be bigger than short term loss, bringing about a big ripple around his remarks. Upon [his remarks], the Iranian government threatened the UAE that she would make economical & militaristic retaliation against the UAE. The UAE is showing the most active steps for the sanction against Iran among all the nations in the Middle East.’

'The South Korea, adding her own additional sanction [on Iran] by the demand of the United States, separately from the UN Security Council’s sanction on Iran, has already arisen repulsion from her. In such situation, the dispatch of South Korean troops to the UAE who is in hostile relationship with Iran will more aggravate Iran’s cognition on South Korea. It is because [Iran] will have discontent of “ how we (Iranians) can understand the facts that South Korea would even dispatch troops to [the UAE] following her export of nuclear power plant [to the UAE] while she puts strong sanction on us on our peaceful use of nuclear power.” It is nothing but like South Korea’s sending to Iran a message that says, ‘South Korea will stand on behalf of the UAE, if needed, ”

With an warning that “If the Lee Myung Bak government carries out even the plan of dispatch as the price for the export of nuclear power plant to the UAE, which it makes as its most accomplishment, after it has already mobilized the nation’s troops in four river project [* which destroys all the ecology system in Korea], the [President, Lee Myung-Bak], supreme commander of the [ROK] military, would amplify the suspicion that he is abusing the nation’s military for his regime’s interest,” Cheong also demanded the immediate withdrawal of the defense ministry’s dispatch plan to the UAE.

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* Otherwise about South Korean’s statement and commentary against the Lee government’ joining MD, please see the below. Thanks, Bruce Gagnon for distribution on them and thanks, M. S. for translating those in Japanese.
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