평화군축센터 미분류 2005-01-10   672

The Declaration Against the Extension of the Korean Troop Dispatch to Iraq

We deplore the violent developments in Iraq and all over the world, including Korea, that have arisen following the illegal aggression undertaken by the U.S. Bush Administration in Iraq under the false pretence of ‘war against terrorism’. We are shocked and concerned to learn of the proposal of the Korean Government seeking the approval of the National Assembly for an extension of its troop deployment in Iraq. We write this open letter to express our dismay at the action of the Korean Government.

The U.S. Troops, the Korean ‘Zaytun’ Troops, and all the Foreign Troops Must Leave Iraq

The world is now fully aware of the manipulation of intelligence and the campaign of deception by the governments of the president Bush and Prime Minister Blair instigated to justify the illegal aggression against Iraq. The war against Iraq and the subsequent occupation were a tragedy that should not have ever occurred. It has turned into an unimaginable catastrophe for the people of Iraq and all peace-loving people of the world. In the same note, the assertion of the Korean Government that the Korean troop deployment in Iraq is aimed at assisting the people of Iraq stands on no credible grounds. The claims for ‘peace and reconstruction’ by the ‘multinational force’ are nothing but fiction. The devastating catastrophe that has unfolded in Iraq over the last one year and eight months cry out as the unequivocal testimony that the very existence of the forces of occupation is the cause of all the conflicts in Iraq. What the people of Iraq want is nothing more than to be able to decide their own destiny. The U.S. troops and the troops of all other occupying forces must be pulled out of Iraq.

The World Has Rejects The Logic of Might Embraced by the U.S.

The American military unilateralism, instigating a vicious cycle of violence, has decimated the international norms of democracy, peaceful coexistence, and national sovereignty, and thus made the world a more dangerous place. American way of human rights, so loudly celebrated by the U.S. Government, has been shown out in proven in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib to be all but bankrupt. The victims of war perpetrated by the U.S. Government are not limited just to the people of Iraq: the American people have also become its victims. The politics of fear, used to fuel the policy of war by the Bush Administration, is seriously undermining democracy within the U.S. itself. The domestic and international prestige, pre-eminence, and influence of the U.S. have been irrevocably eroded as a result of the Bush Administration`s criminal abuse of power and might. The quagmire the U.S. military finds itself in Iraq is a result of its own doing, an inevitable consequence anticipated from the very first days.

We Strongly Urge the Korean Government to Refrain from Further Extending Its Involvement in the War Crimes in Iraq.

The Korean Government, together with the U.S. and other governments which have deployed troops in Iraq claim that it would not submit to the threat of terrorism. The troop deployment, however, is, in reality, embracing the invitation to join in the act of massacre.

There are numerous examples — such as, the cynical arm twisting of the people to believe in the false presence of ‘assisting the reconstruction’ for the troop deployment; the arousing groundless fear of ‘terrorism’ to promote discrimination and mistrust of foreigners and their deportation without reasonable grounds; the erection of anti-human rights mechanisms, such as, the ‘Anti-Terrorism Law’; the resort to censorship of media, once prevalent in the days of Cold War and McCathyism – that give ample evidence that the government itself has submitted to the forces of violence and anti-democratic sentiments.

Even now, civilians in Falluja are subjected to indiscriminate attacks, and the various essential services and facilities, such as, hospitals and clinics and electricity generation plants are being destroyed by bombing. If the Korean Government and the National Assembly wish to demonstrate a genuine courage in refusing to submit to violence, they must begin by speaking out about the ‘illegitimacy of U.S. war and occupation in Iraq.’ And take speedy actions to withdraw the Korean troops from Iraq.

The Korean Government and the National Assembly Must Put an End to the Attempt to Extent the Deployment of Korean Troops in Iraq and Move Promptly to Pull the Troops Out of Iraq.

The American people, unfortunately, have failed in categorically denouncing the criminal actions and failings of the Bush Administration. The military unilateralism of the president Bush, however, is continuing to fail the American people. The illegitimate and unjust foreign policy behaviour of the Bush Administration is being rejected not only in Iraq but all over the world, and the resistance across the world is only growing stronger.

We call on the Korean Government and the National Assembly not to submit to the unilateralism of the Bush Administration, and join in the global effort to wrench the world out of the despised vicious cycle of violence. The first lies in putting an end to the plan to extend the deployment of the Korean troops and pulling them out of Iraq.

2004. 12.

Center for Peace and Disarmament

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