[Editorial] Once Decided For Troop Dispatch, Unify Public Opinion

President Roh Moo-Hyun’s pain-staking decision for troop dispatch to Iraq must be implemented as originally planned. Although the president missed an opportunity to announce this due to his departure for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) summit, he will gain support from the nation by explaining the necessity of troops dispatch and its’ decision-making process when he comes back from the summit.

The lawmakers that also have responsibilities for approving troop dispatch plan should also play a significant role for the purpose of contributing to the nation’s interest. In this regard, it is regrettable that the leader of New Party for Participatory Union, the so-called “moral ruling party,” doubted “whether the president made a prudent decision.” Acting as a ruling party, his behavior of provoking public opinion against the government is far from understanding.

Although the size of troops is not fixed yet, troop dispatch to Iraq is a critical issue for the nation, with thousands of troops being sent overseas and hundreds of billion won spent. We need thorough preparation for the best performance of troops. The government’s effort to organize a “general division” which is composed of combat soldiers, military engineers and medical soldiers is very encouraging. It would be wise to take examples from Seohui and Jema Units currently deployed in Iraq and form the most suitable division possible.

The way our troops are viewed by the Iraqi people is another important subject. Even if we are not a part of U.N. troops for peace maintenance, the Korean government decided to send its’ soldiers as a member of multinational armies approved by the United Nations. Korean troops have to let the Iraqi people understand that they are with Iraqi people as a “friend of Iraq” to help them maintain peace and rehabilitation, not to make a war in middle-east countries.

There are also some risks such as a notification of possible terror attack by an assumed Bin Laden against multinational troops. It is imperative that we must be precautious in preparing for the prevention from Iraqi people and our troops’ self-security. Sending an investigation team to Iraq once again for an in-depth research would be one of the ways to minimize unexpected damages. It is the government who has the main responsibility to reassure the Korean soldiers’ security and their great efforts.

The decision of troop dispatch will be not acceptable to some citizens and politicians, but we need to accept it with a wide prospect. It is no use discouraging our troops with unnecessary divided opinions at this moment. The United States has already analyzed that troop dispatch will positively contribute to the Korea-U.S. Alliance relationship. Aside from the analyzed effects, our nation that ranks the twelfth largest in the world economy cannot neglect its’ international responsibility and duty. Once the decision was made, the best choice now is to unify our opinions.