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The Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, Congressman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, today introduced a resolution expressing condolences to the families of the 46 sailors killed in the sinking of a South Korean ship by North Korea, reaffirming the U.S.-ROK security alliance and calling for a coordinated international response to the attack. Faleomavaega was joined in introducing the bill by Rep. Howard Berman, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Rep. Donald Manzullo, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment; and Rep. Gary Ackerman, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.
“Today the government of South Korea presented its findings as well as forensic evidence of its investigation into the sinking of the Cheonan on March 26, 2010, in which 46 sailors lost their lives. Korean investigators were joined by 24 foreign experts from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Sweden, and they concluded unanimously, ‘that the Cheonan was attacked and sunk by a torpedo that was launched from a small North Korean submarine.’ This outrageous and unprovoked act, which violates the Korean War Armistice, requires a swift and coordinated response from the international community, which is precisely what this resolution calls for,” Faleomavaega said.
“The resolution also expresses its sympathy and condolences to the families and loved ones of the sailors who were killed and reaffirms our enduring commitment to the alliance with the Republic of Korea. It also condemns North Korea in the strongest terms for sinking the Cheonan, calls for an apology by North Korea for its hostile acts and a commitment by North Korea never to violate the Korean War Armistice again.”
“My colleagues and I are urging the international community to fully and faithfully implement all United Nations Security Council Resolutions pertaining to security on the Korean Peninsula, including United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1695, 1718 and 1874. In addition, we are calling for the United States, in coordination with it allies and partners, to take other appropriate steps in response to the sinking as well as other hostile acts of North Korea,” Faleomavaega added.
“This is the worst military provocation on the Korean Peninsula since the end of the Korean War, and it cannot be ignored. The North Koreans must cease these hostile acts and get back to the bargaining table,” Faleomavaega concluded.
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