Seoul to help Pakistan, Afghanistan

Korea yesterday promised to play an active role in international efforts to stabilize Pakistan and Afghanistan.

U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke met President Lee Myung-bak, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and presidential foreign affairs and security aide Kim Sung-hwan.

Lee told Holbrooke that his government would look for ways to assist the region, stressing the alliance between Seoul and Washington, Lee`s spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said.

"Koreans were killed in an al-Qaida terrorist attack in Yemen last month. No country in the world is safe from terrorism," the president was quoted as saying.

The U.S. envoy delivered U.S. President Barack Obama`s thanks for Lee`s support and requested Seoul contribute more to assisting Pakistan and rebuilding Afghanistan, Cheong Wa Dae said.

Foreign Minister Yu is expected to unveil Seoul`s pledges of aid to Islamabad during an international donors` conference today in Tokyo.

The government plans to provide Pakistan with roughly $150 million over the next three years, according to Foreign Ministry officials.

The World Bank and Japan co-hosted the one-day meeting of "Friends of Democratic Pakistan." Islamabad plays a key role in a U.S.-led fight against al-Qaida and Taliban insurgents, who are holed up in the area near its northern border with Afghanistan.

During the meeting, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is expected to ask for assistance in development, energy, institution-building, security, and trade and finance.

The World Bank said on Monday the meeting of 27 countries and 16 organizations is expected to generate pledges of loan and grant aid worth $4 billion to $6 billion. Donors are also expected to urge Pakistan to step up measures to fight the Islamic militants.

Japan will reportedly promise $1 billion assistance for two years. China is also said to approved a $2.37 billion plan to provide two nuclear power plants in Pakistan. U.S. President Barack Obama supports a bill to authorize $1.5 billion annually over five years in civilian aid.

Seoul is also expected to affirm its commitment to assisting Pakistan`s economic development and building infrastructure, officials said.

For Afghanistan, Korea is considering increasing the number of its aid workers and dispatching police officers and firefighters to train Afghans.

It also plans non-military assistance, including building hospitals and schools and providing medical support.

Currently, 24 Korean medical and job training experts take part in the U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bagram, north of Kabul.

Seoul withdrew its 210 medical and engineering troops from Afghanistan at the end of 2007.

That year, 23 Korean Christian aid workers were taken hostage by Taliban militants. Two were killed and the rest were freed.

As part of a new strategy, the United States plans to dispatch 17,000 additional soldiers and 4,000 troops to train Afghan forces.

The move will bring the total number of U.S. troops there to about 60,000, with NATO countries providing another 30,000 soldiers.

It also pledges to send hundreds more civilians to help Afghan authorities provide essential services for their citizens.

Lee and Obama discussed Korea`s additional support to the war-torn country in a summit in London early this month.

Cheong Wa Dae denied speculation that Obama requested a military contribution to Afghanistan.

About 710 Korean troops are currently participating in peacekeeping operations in 12 nations.

The Seoul government and the ruling Grand National Party are seeking to revise a law so that the nation can dispatch troops overseas more easily and promptly. The military also seeks to designate a permanent PKO unit.

By Hwang Jang-jin



(jjhwang@heraldm.com)