Opinion letters

Author: Various Authors

Protest Vs. Alleged U.S. Killings

By SANG-HUN CHOE
.c The Associated Press


SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Waving signs and chanting, a South Korean student group rallied in downtown Seoul on Sunday, demanding that the United States punish those responsible for the alleged mass killings of civilians by U.S. forces at the start of the Korean War.

It was the first public reaction from South Korea's largest student group, called Hanchongryon and known for its anti-U.S. views, regarding last week's news report on the alleged killings in July 1950.

``The U.S. government must punish people responsible for the massacre!'' a group of 40 students chanted, pumping their clenched fists into the air.

Last week, The Associated Press reported accounts by American veterans, corroborating those of South Korean villagers, that their unit killed a large number of civilians at No Gun Ri, South Korea, during the early days of the Korean War. The villagers say 400 died.

The AP also found once-classified documents showing that U.S. commanders ordered their troops to shoot civilians as a defense against disguised enemy soldiers.

At the rally in Seoul's main railroad plaza, the students demanded that the United States apologize to South Korea and the victims' families.

Riot police stood around the protesters but did not intervene. No clashes were reported.

``Americans are beasts wearing masks of human beings!'' the group said in a statement.

Hanchongryon has led violent street protests in the past, but its influence has decreased sharply in recent years.

The government outlawed the group because it supported the withdrawal of 37,000 U.S. troops based in South Korea as well as other key demands made by communist North Korea. The group says the U.S. military presence increases tension on the divided Korean peninsula.

Aging South Koreans who said they survived the killings said Friday that they would not allow anti-American sentiment to affect their search for the truth behind No Gun Ri.

They said they recognized the importance of friendly relations between Washington and Seoul and understood the valuable security role the United States plays in deterring threats from the communist North.

The two Koreas are still technically at war because no peace treaty was signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Their border is the world's most heavily militarized.

After the AP report, the U.S. and South Korean governments promised thorough investigations into the No Gun Ri killings. Both governments had previously dismissed the survivors' claims.

AP-NY-10-03-99 1325EDT


Putin Urges START II Ratification

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
.c The Associated Press


MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin today called for quick ratification of the long-delayed START II nuclear arms treaty with the United States and even deeper cuts in the nations' nuclear arsenals.

Choosing a key nuclear weapons center for his first postelection trip, Putin said he had ordered defense and foreign ministry officials to step up consultations in parliament to prepare for the START II ratification.

``We are setting the task to free the world from piles of excessive weapons,'' he said in the city of Snezhinsk, known as Chelyabinsk-70 during Soviet times, a major nuclear weapons design and production facility 950 miles east of Moscow.

The 1993 treaty was ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1996, but Communists and other hard-liners who dominated the Russian parliament have balked at ratifying the treaty, saying START II would hurt Russia's security.

After a strong showing of pro-government moderates in December's parliamentary elections, the Communists lost control of the State Duma, parliament's lower house, and lawmakers are now expected to move faster toward ratification.

START II would halve U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals to between 3,000 and 3,500 warheads each, and preliminary talks have already begun on the START III treaty that would envisage more cuts.

``Russia is holding and will continue talks on further cuts in the strategic offensive weapons,'' Putin said, according to Russian news reports.

In a speech to Snezhinsk workers, Putin said the nuclear weapons industry should find a reasonable way to convert to civilian production, avoiding ``thoughtless restructuring and layoffs.''

Over the past several years, thousands of workers at the center have repeatedly gone on strike to demand back wages, as once-lavish government funding has ground to a near halt.

Shrinking defense spending has also led to layoffs, and workers have found it difficult to find civilian jobs in cities like Snezhinsk, which have remained closed to outsiders for security reasons.

While moving ahead with nuclear weapons cuts, Russia must also streamline its nuclear deterrent force, Putin said.

``Our aim is to make our nuclear weapons complex more safe and effective,'' he said. ``We will preserve and strengthen the Russian nuclear weapons complex even though we don't plan to build it up.''

Putin also pledged to help market Russian nuclear technology worldwide, tacitly dismissing Washington's criticism of a deal to build a nuclear reactor in Iran.

``We will protect Russia's interests in global markets, and won't allow anyone to push Russia from those markets under the guise of falsely formulated values,'' Putin said when asked about prospects of cooperation with Iran.

Nuclear Power Minister Yevgeny Adamov said Iran has asked Russia to build three more reactors - a plan that would vex the Clinton administration, which fears that it would help Iran develop nuclear weapons.

Putin, who won Sunday's presidential election with promises to restore Russia's international prestige and military might and to revive the stagnant economy, offered no quick solutions and has yet to put forth a specific economic program.

Speaking to reporters today, he reiterated his support for free-market reforms while working to strengthen the state role in the economy. He said he was ready to invite representatives of different political parties into the new Cabinet, but said that wouldn't mean forming a coalition government.

After visiting Snezhinsk, Putin was scheduled to go to Chelyabinsk, the main city in the region, where he is set to attend a judo exhibition. Putin, a 16-year KGB veteran, is a black belt in judo."

This is an interesting development. It may auger well for world peace and a chance for Putin to get aid from the US.The next steps will be worth watching. Look for Clinton to jump on this one!