|
The U.S. Forces Korea on Tuesday said the UN forces commander here ¡°cannot be responsible for maintenance of the Armistice Agreement and potential crisis escalation¡± once he has no further control of South Korean forces after their full operational control has been handed over to Seoul. USFK Commander Gen. Burwell Bell¡¯s statement came in a press release aimed at clarifying reports on Bell¡¯s recent remarks about the changing role of UN Command.
It was Bell¡¯s first official statement of his position that the largely nominal UN forces, which are headed by the USFK chief, will no longer be responsible for maintaining the armistice treaty once Combined Forces Command is dismantled. The remarks as good as say the UNC's duty of maintaining the armistice and dealing with violations will be left to South Korea.
Maintaining the armistice that halted the Korean War is a delicate matter in terms of diplomacy and international law, and a potential source of more disagreement between the U.S. and South Korea. While the U.S. has now again made it clear that it wants Seoul to take over, Seoul appears to be stalling. In Tuesday¡¯s press release, the USFK said, "Recent news reporting has falsely speculated that the role of UNC is being revised to retain authority over South Korean forces after the transfer of operational control. These reports are simply untrue." The USFK denied speculation by some pundits in the Korean media that the U.S. commander will try to change the role of the UNC to retain authority over South Korean troops after the planned transfer of full operational control.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
