Stop
War Planning and
Start Peace Talks
An
International Appeal to Oppose War Provocation in Korea
and to Resolve the North Korean Issue by Peaceful
Means
By
Forum of the June, Green
Korea United , Korean Confederation of Trade Unions,
Korean Federation of Environmental Movement, Korea
Progressive Academy Council, Korean Professors Union,
Korean Women's Associations United, National Council for
Peace on the Korean Peninsula, Peoples Solidarity for
Participatory Democracy, Solidarity for Peace and
Reunification of Korea, Women Making Peace
August 26, 2003
For the past five decades, the horror of war has
constantly dominated Korea, instilling mistrust, hatred,
and confrontation in the people living in North or South
Korea alike. This quasi war-state has also frustrated the
efforts they have made to develop a peaceful Korea and a
peaceful world. The era of confrontation must end now. As
we mark the 50th anniversary of the armistice of the
Korean War, we invite you to proclaim with us a Jubilee
of Peace, a year marking the start of a new epoch of
peace and reconciliation, coexistence and prosperity in
Northeast Asia. The peoples of Korea and the world demand
that the armistice be replaced with a peace treaty as a
way to end the current confrontation and build a
cooperative relationship.
The peoples' wishes notwithstanding, a danger of war
looms large over the Korean Peninsula at the moment. The
conflict is between the US administration demanding
unconditional dismantlement of "the North Korea's nuclear
program" and North Korean government refusing it for a
security guarantee. Attempts to resolve this issue by
threats and sanctions have only escalated the tension,
leading to the de facto annulment of the 1994 Geneva
agreement that had sustained a hope for a peaceful
settlement of the nuclear issue. This year the tension
between the two sides has ascended to an unprecedented
level, making war a real possibility.
Military means cannot be a solution to the current
dispute. The nuclear and security issues between North
Korea and the US should and can be resolved by peaceful
means. The forthcoming six-nation talk on the issue, once
deemed impossible to many, can be a starting point for a
new direction. We, NGOs and peace groups in South Korea
and around the world, make the following appeals to
everyone who denounces war as a way to peace:
- The dispute between the US and North Korean
governments must be resolved only by peaceful means. For
this the US, North Korea and all other parties involved
in the forthcoming multilateral talk should engage in a
dialogue with a genuine commitment to peace. Threats of
containment or use of force should be excluded from the
negotiating table, as such threats have only obstructed
meaningful talks in the past.
- We oppose the development, deployment or use of
nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. On the basis of
this non-nuclear principle, we oppose North Korea's
nuclear weapons programs as well as the US deployment and
use of nuclear weapons in the Korean peninsula. The
denuclearization agreement of the two Koreas must be
respected by all states, and the US must clearly
denunciate its nuclear first-strike policy.
- The current crisis should be resolved by a package
deal where the U.S. provides for a security guarantee and
the lifting of economic sanctions to North Korea in
return for the North's freeze of all nuclear weapons
programs. South Korea and neighbouring countries need to
support and guarantee the commitments made in the package
deal while North Korea is required to conduct earnest
dialogues with her neighbours. Only by replacing the
armistice with a peace treaty, can the sources of the
continued military confrontation as well as the sources
of future conflict be removed once and for all.
- We believe that any policy regarding Korean future
must take into consideration Korean people's views and
hopes. It should be clearly noted that the Koreans desire
no war but reconciliation, cooperation, peace building
and reunification between two Koreas. We welcome the
proposed six-party talk as a diplomatic success jointly
achieved by the governments of North Korea, the US, China
and others. This frame of talk should serve as a venue of
resolving the prolonged conflict in such a way as to
fulfil the peace wishes of the Koreans.
A deadly arms race is on the horizon in Northeast
Asia. The US has adopted a nuclear first-strike posture,
is promoting high-tech weapons systems such as the
missile defense, and is increasing its military presence
in the region. Using the North Korean crisis as a
justification, Japan is bolstering its military
capability while dismantling legal constraints on its
military activities. China and South Korea continue with
their military modernization programs. This trend should
be stopped now. Otherwise it will soon create an insane
arms race that will doom the prospect of peace in the
region and the world. We urge the governments in the
region to realize the danger of this trend and to start
immediately working together towards security cooperation
and disarmament.
Recognising the tremendous positive effect that the
peace-loving peoples of the world have made in preventing
war, we are determined to continue to cooperate with them
to bring a peaceful resolution to the current crisis not
only as a way to bring peace to the Korean peninsula but
also as a way to contribute to building a peaceful world.
We appeal to everyone to work together for the world
where peace and co-prosperity prevail over war
threats.
©
TFF and the
authors
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