Text Fwd: NATO Tightens Relations With South Korea, Weighs In On Conflict

Stop NATO

Malaysian National News Agency: Bernama.com
Bernama (Malaysia)
July 6, 2010


NATO Wants To Increase Cooperation With South Korea, Non-Members

-Speaking of cooperation, Brengelmann noted NATO's show of support for South Korea in light of the sinking of its warship Cheonan....The diplomat said some NATO members also serve on the U.N. Security Council and that the NATO members will try to ensure any Security Council action on the Cheonan sinking will represent their views expressed in the NATO statement.


SEOUL: The world's biggest military alliance, NATO, is looking to increase cooperation with South Korea and other partners beyond Europe and North America to meet global challenges such as proliferation and piracy, a senior NATO official said Tuesday.

"Our security interests and security interests of countries like Korea coincide today more than ever," Dirk Brengelmann, NATO's assistant secretary general for political affairs and security policy, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.
....

Brengelmann was to wrap up his two-day stay in Seoul later Tuesday following the third annual policy consultation talks between South Korea and NATO. Brengelmann's NATO delegation will also visit Japan and China for similar policy talks.

The German diplomat, who had served in missions in Haiti and Britain before being appointed to his current post in March this year, pointed to South Korea's reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan as an example of cooperation. Seoul has joined NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the war-ravaged nation.

"We share interest when it comes to sound security policy," Brengelmann said, noting that it was "a happy coincidence" that he was in Seoul only a few days after South Korea launched its Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan.

The official lauded South Korea for taking a "comprehensive approach" to its Afghanistan efforts by sending troops and police forces along with civilian reconstruction workers.
....
"The Korean PRT is a good example of what we call the 'civ-mil (civilian-military) comprehensive approach' in trying to make sure that your military efforts are being complemented by other sides," he added.

Speaking of cooperation, Brengelmann noted NATO's show of support for South Korea in light of the sinking of its warship Cheonan.

On May 20, when a Seoul-led multinational probe blamed North Korea for the March 26 sinking that left 46 sailors dead, a NATO statement said it "strongly condemns the North Korean actions" that led to the sinking. The statement also argued the North's action constituted "a clear breach of international law."

The diplomat said some NATO members also serve on the U.N. Security Council and that the NATO members will try to ensure any Security Council action on the Cheonan sinking will represent their views expressed in the NATO statement.

Seoul referred the Cheonan sinking to the Security Council on June 4, hoping to censure Pyongyang for the alleged attack.

Debates have emerged as to whether South Korea should pursue a binding resolution rather than a presidential statement, but Brengelmann opined that the format is less important than the content.

"Normally, a U.N. Security Council resolution is the stronger of the two, but the presidential statement has its values," Bregelmann said, echoing the sentiment often expressed by South Korean diplomats.

"I wouldn't put too much emphasis on that. I'd rather go for the content in either one, and look for the content, but not so much on the format of the statement."
____________________________________________________________
Stop NATO
Blog site