Lawmakers' Anti-US Statement
Seoul-Washington Alliance Undergoes a Severe Test
An anti-U.S. statement issued by 34 members of the ruling Uri Party Monday is expected to further erode the half-century alliance between Seoul and Washington, which has already shown a visible rift. They denounced the United States for invading Iraq on the false assumption that Saddam Hussein was trying to develop weapons of mass destruction. They also demanded that a United Nations-led peacekeeping mission replace the U.S.-led coalition forces in war-devastated Iraq. In addition, they warned Washington not to handle North Korea in the same way it had treated Iraq on false information.
It is the first time that a group of the government party’s legislators has denounced the U.S. foreign policy. The issuance of their controversial statement coincided with the revelation of a Korean worker kidnapped by a band of Iraqi insurgents that stunned the nation Monday. The Iraqi group threatened to behead him unless Seoul withdraws the decision to dispatch an additional 3,000 plus troops to Iraq, starting early August. The lawmakers, who have recently formed a fraternity policy group named the New Pursuit for National Policy, however, backed down from their original move to ask U.S. President George W. Bush to apologize for the invasion of Iraq on the basis of wrong information. Their protest against the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq and the kidnapping of the Korean worker are certain to further anger those opposed to the additional troop dispatch. Frankly speaking, nobody wants to send our soldiers to Iraq. The current security situation is far worse than when American-led coalition forces were sent to invade the oil-rich country in order to oust Saddam Hussein.
However, the objection from politicians, especially those from the ruling party, can’t be understood because the political parties passed a government motion to transfer a new batch of troops to the Middle eastern country in the last National Assembly. The decision to send the servicemen was our pledge to our strong ally, the United States, but also the rest of the international community. On the other hand, it is regrettable that a substantial number of ruling party members are trying to blockade the soldiers’ deployment even though they are required to stand behind the government, which decided on the transfer only last week. Their opposition raises deep concerns about President Roh Moo-hyun’s administration of state affairs. Needless to say, it will be impossible for Roh to efficiently and wisely govern the nation without full support from his party that secures a majority in the current Assembly.
Against this backdrop, politicians, regardless of their parties, are required to restrain from taking on radical actions on the troops’ transfer to Iraq to help Roh manage the nation and preserve the alliance with Washington as well.
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