Compromise on drill by U.S., Korea

JoongAng Ilbo ^ | 7/15/2010 | JoongAng Ilbo

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

South Korea and the United States will push ahead with a joint naval exercise to warn North Korea against making attacks on the South, officials in Seoul and Washington said.

But a defense ministry official told the JoongAng Ilbo that the two countries have arrived at a compromise to avoid angering China, which objected to the exercise being held in the Yellow Sea near its own territorial waters.

“We will hold drills in both the Yellow Sea and the East Sea,” the official said.

In addition, the U.S.S. George Washington, a U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, will participate in the exercise in the East Sea, not the Yellow Sea, the source said.

“The first stage of the drill will take place in the East Sea with the aircraft carrier, and more exercises will follow in the Yellow Sea,” he said. “The aircraft carrier cannot participate in all drills. Last year, it joined the drill in the Yellow Sea. This year, it will participate in the exercise in the East Sea.”

The official admitted that China’s objection to the drill was a factor in changing the plan.

“We first discussed a plan of holding the exercise in the Yellow Sea, but changed the location to the East Sea taking into account the development in the United Nations Security Council,” he said. On July 9, the UN Security Council issued a presidential statement deploring the sinking of the naval warship Cheonan on March 26, but didn’t say North Korea was behind the attack as South Korea and the U.S. believe. China and Russia objected to North Korea being blamed.

[snowsislander]

But a defense ministry official told the JoongAng Ilbo that the two countries have arrived at a compromise to avoid angering China, which objected to the exercise being held in the Yellow Sea near its own territorial waters.

It was only a decade ago that even President Clinton was willing to sail the Nimitz through the Taiwan Strait. Now our Kenyan Clown poltroon kowtows to Red China.

[snowsislander]

It was only a decade ago that even President Clinton was willing to sail the Nimitz through the Taiwan Strait. Now our Kenyan Clown poltroon kowtows to Red China.

BTTT.