Category Archives: DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

14th Annual Israeli Apartheid Weeks of actions

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

Information from Apartheid Week website and twitter page

The 14th Annual Israeli Apartheid Weeks of actions will take place all around the world in March and April. Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is an international series of events that seek to raise awareness of Israel’s apartheid system over the Palestinian people and to build support for the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

A report released earlier this year by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) proves beyond doubt that Israel has imposed a system of apartheid on the entire Palestinian people and calls for BDS measures to end Israel’s apartheid regime.

Inspired by the popular resistance across historic Palestine and struggles worldwide, IAW 2017 included a wide range of events from lectures, film screenings, cultural performances, and BDS actions, to postering in metro stations, setting up apartheid walls on campuses, and many more. These actions took place in more than 200 cities across the world.

The coming year (2018) will mark 70 years of Palestinian popular resistance against the ongoing process of dispossession and ethnic cleansing, since the 1948 Nakba.The Palestinian people’s resistance against colonization has in fact been longer than that. From the Balfour Declaration of 1917 to the present moment- Palestinians have fought for their dignity, their rights, and their lands. IAW is an opportunity to reflect on this resistance and further advance BDS campaigns for the continued growth and impact of the movement. Despite Israel’s legal and propaganda war on BDS internationally, IAW and the BDS movement continue to build linkages and solidarity with other struggles to achieve freedom, justice, and equality.

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Question related to this article:

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

Israel/Palestine, is the situation like South Africa?

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If you would like to organize and be part of Israeli Apartheid Week on your campus or in your city, check out what events are already planned at apartheidweek.org, find us on Facebook and Twitter, register online http://apartheidweek.org/organise/ and get in touch with IAW coordinators in your region. For more information and support, please contact iawinfo@apartheidweek.org.

Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) 

To close #IsraeliApartheidWeek 2018, the IPSC held actions highlighting Helwett-Packard’s (HP) profiteering from Israel’s occupation and illegal colonisation of #Palestine.

In #Omagh and #Ennis we hosted information and petition collecting stalls, in #Dublin we staged a ‘mock checkpoint’ on Dublin’s busiest shopping street to give people an insight into the daily fear and humiliation faced by Palestinians living under Israel’s occupation, and in #Derry we brought the noise to the city’s famous walls.

Now we’re asking YOU to sign the pledge to boycott HP products, to refuse to buy their good in the future until they stop helping Israel oppress and colonise Palestine. Sign the #BoycottHP Pledge here: http://www.ipsc.ie/hp

Kenya na Palestine

#IsraeliApartheidWeek kicks off next Monday, March 12th with a great line-up of Palestinian films & discussions taking place across Nairobi, over the entire month. First stop Mathare!

Israeli Apartheid Week – Kingston, Ontario

Events beginning today [March 12] hosted by @SPHRQU in Kingston #Ontario, including a poetry night exploring parallels between Turtle Island and Palestine with @EricaVioletLee #IsraeliApartheidWeek

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global, Mideast,

‘It’s Time To Take Action’: Students Lead Protest to Change Gun Laws

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

Excerpts from an article by Cindy Long for the National Education Association

There’s a new face on the age-old gun debate: our students, and they won’t be silenced. They are demanding that the adults in power keep them safe and they will not stand by and allow elected officials to fail them any longer.


Click on photo to enlarge

As of Feb. 14, just a month and a half into the new year, a total of 20 people have been killed and more than 30 have been injured in shootings at American elementary, middle, and high schools. Only weeks earlier at Marshall County High School in Kentucky two students were killed by a 15-year old shooter who left fourteen others wounded and all traumatized perhaps for the rest of their lives. . . .

Organizing for School and Student Safety

Nationwide, students and activists have joined their rallying cry and have organized two upcoming events — the National School Walkout on March 14 and the March for Our Lives on March 24. NEA will also participate in another event, a National Day of Action on April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine shooting.

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Question related to this article:

Do you think handguns should be banned?, Why or why not?

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March 14th – the Women’s March has announced a National School Walkout in which school communities will walk out of their schools for 17 minutes to honor the lives lost in Parkland. NEA will join with AFT in encouraging educators throughout the country to wear orange on this day.

March 24th – Several students who survived the tragedy at Parkland have called for a student-led march and protest. They will travel to Washington, DC, and meet with politicians on the need to address gun violence and are encouraging others to join. This is a fully student-planned march. More information can be found at marchforourlives.com.

April 20 – NEA and its members are joining with the National Public Education Network, American Federation of Teachers, Moms Demand Action, Everytown for Gun Safety, Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence, and other national organizations, to take action against gun violence on April 20 together in a way that sends a strong message to policy makers that #enoughisenough.

“We demand a plan that will keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous people,” says NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. “Only the United States has such a long, long, long list of mass public murders by a lone gunman. The reason is simple. Our laws allow dangerous people to easily purchase military-style, rapid-fire assault weapons. That’s the only difference. That’s what we need to fix. Thoughts and prayers will not prevent the next tragedy. People rising up will.”

NEA is asking educators nationwide to share their ideas and information on events in their school communities. Visit our National Day of Action site.

Editor’s note: The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) are the largest trade unions of teachers in the United States with 3 million and 1.6 million members respectively. They have consistently opposed NRA demands to arm teachers, and the AFT has once again expressed its opposition in the last few days.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, North America

First National Bank dumps NRA, will no longer issue NRA Visa card

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Think Progress

For more than a decade, the First National Bank of Omaha has offered special branded Visa cards to National Rifle Association members to support the group. On Thursday, following two days of public pressure, the bank announced it “will not renew its contract” with the NRA.


Click on image to enlarge
(Note: Since this image was first published by Think Progress, most of the corporations have ended their relationship.)

The bank confirmed, in a tweet, that “customer feedback caused” the decision:

On Tuesday, ThinkProgress reported  that First National Bank was one of at least 22 corporations that the NRA says offer incentives to NRA members. The bank and its parent company did not respond to repeated inquires about whether last week’s horrific mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida, would cause it to reconsider its relationship with the group leading the charge to oppose gun violence prevention efforts.

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Question related to this article:

Do you think handguns should be banned?, Why or why not?

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But less than 24 hours later, ThinkProgress spotted that the website advertising the “official credit card of the NRA” had mysteriously vanished, with an error message appearing in its place.

Neither the bank nor Visa responded to repeated ThinkProgress inquiries about the disappearance, but the bank did respond on Twitter, to many outraged customers, many of whom threatened to cancel their accounts  because of the relationship.

First National Bank is the first of the corporations to officially end its relationship with the NRA in the aftermath of Parkland.

There are still at least 21 corporations  with ongoing relationships with the NRA.

Editor’s note: Since this article was published, a number of these other corporations have stopped their relationship with the NRA, including Enterprise, Alamo and National, as well as Hertz and Avis car rentals. However, the NRA continues its own publicity, assailing the media and calling for the arming of teachers, a position supported by President Trump.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, North America

DRC: Meeting on the School Day of Non Violence and Peace

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by John Mukhuta Muhiana, for the World Peace Foundation / DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

The World Peace Foundation, DRC, has organized an event for the school day of non-violence and peace, commemorating the death of his excellence Mahatma Gandhi. The event took place on January 30, 2018 in the Provincial Assembly of Lualaba, with the participation of the political authorities, representatiives from the mining companies, the school project Living Peace, people from India and the Representative of the Indian Ambassador.

The event began at 14:00 in the plenary room mentioned above with the slogan “peace, love and unity “. This day was initially celebrated since 1964 by the Spanish poet, educator and pacifist, Llorenc Vidal, and the day was recognized by UNESCO in 1993.

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Question related to this article:

Can you add to this analysis of the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

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The event was dedicated to politicians, public officials, parents, educators and teachers, to promote lifelong education for non-violence and peace. It is essential to educate for solidarity and respect for others, because wars start in the minds of men and it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be raised. In this event, the World Peace Foundation has celebrated its 15th anniversary, the commemoration of the death of His Excellency Mahatma Gandhi and the world day of non-violence and peace.
 
At 19:00, the guests were accompanied to the Moon Palas Hotel for a cocktail and meal until 1 am. The holiday gave joy to peace supporters and participants. This event was sponsored by the Governor of the Province His Excellency Mr. Muyej Mangeze Mans who is our Universal Circle of Peace Ambassador. He contributed $ 3000 for the organization of this event. We thank also the President of the Provincial Assembly the Honorable Kamwenyi Thumbo Louis who allowed us to hold the event in the plenary hall of the Assembly.

(Click here for the French version of this article.)

Africa, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

Urging Peace Talks, Open Letter From Taliban Asks American People to Recognize Total Failure of 16-Year War

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by Andrea Germanos, staff writer, in Common Dreams (reprinted under terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License)

Two and half weeks after President Donald Trump rejected  the idea of peace talks with Taliban, the militant group published an open letter to the American people urging them to pressure their government to end the occupation of Afghanistan, now in its 17th year, and engage in peace talks.


Children play inside the remains of an old Soviet hotel where they have been living for the past two years, on July 15, 2017 in Rodat District, Afghanistan. (Photo: Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)

The letter, published on the group’s website, denounces the Bush administration’s justification for launching the invasion, as well as the Trump administration, which “again ordered the perpetuation of the same illegitimate occupation and war against the Afghan people.”

“No matter what title or justification is presented by your undiscerning authorities for the war in Afghanistan, the reality is that tens of thousands of helpless Afghans including women and children were martyred by your forces, hundreds of thousands were injured and thousands more were incarcerated in Guantanamo, Bagram, and various other secret jails and treated in such a humiliating way that has not only brought shame upon humanity but is also a violation of all claims of American culture and civilization,” the letter states.

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Question related to this article:

Is peace possible in Afghanistan?

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It goes on to illustrate in numerous ways how the occupation has failed. For example, “3546 American and foreign soldiers have been killed,” it states, and “this war has cost you trillions of dollars thus making it one of the bloodiest, longest and costliest war in the contemporary history of your country.”

It also references United Nations statistics finding that there was an 87 percent increase in drug production in Afghanistan in 2017 and, despite the uptick in airstrikes, the U.S. watchdog the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) acknowledged that the Taliban is gaining, not losing territory.

Further, “tens of billions of dollars” in taxpayer money have been spent on various reconstruction projects, but the money “has been distributed among thieves and murderers,” the letter states. Through the occupation, “the Americans have merely paved the way for anarchy in the country,” referring to the rise in other militant groups.

“If you want peaceful dialogue with the Afghans specifically, and with the world generally, then make your president and the war-mongering congressmen and Pentagon officials understand this reality and compel them to adopt a rational policy towards Afghanistan,” the letter states.

Ongoing failure for U.S. troops is ensured, the group argues. “If the policy of using force is exercised for a hundred more years and a hundred new strategies are adopted, the outcome of all of these will be the same as you have observed over the last six months following the initiation of Trump’s new strategy.”

“Our preference is to solve the Afghan issue through peaceful dialogues. America must end her occupation and must accept all our legitimate rights including the right to form a government consistent with the beliefs of our people,” the group says.

The thrust of the message echoes what many peace groups have said—Trump is continuing  the failed strategies of his predecessors, and there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. 

The letter comes a day after U.S. intelligence agencies predicted  (pdf) that the “overall situation in Afghanistan probably will deteriorate modestly this year in the face of persistent political instability, sustained attacks by the Taliban-led insurgency, unsteady Afghan Nationa l Security Forces (ANSF) performance, and chronic financial shortfalls.”

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Mideast

International Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Telesur TV

The International Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement that seeks to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine and Israeli human rights violations through economic pressure has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The nomination was made by Bjornar Moxnes, a member of the Norwegian Parliament and leader of the Red Party, on Friday. 


Pro-BDS march in France. | Photo: bdsmovement.net

A release issued by Moxnes stated: “as a member of the Norwegian parliament, I proudly use my authority as an elected official to nominate the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights for the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Listing the goals of the BDS movement, among them securing the right to return of 50 percent of all Palestinians who are currently refugees, Moxes argued “the BDS movement’s aims and aspirations for basic human rights are irreproachable. They should be supported without reservation by all democratically-minded people and states.”

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Question related to this article:

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

How can a culture of peace be established in the Middle East?

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Many organizations have celebrated BDS movement’s nomination. Jewish Voices for Peace welcomed the “wonderful news” via Twitter.

As BDS has grown in prominence and gain endorsements from figures such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu, musician Roger Waters along with several unions and activists groups its organizers have faced intense backlash.

In early January the Israeli government published a “blacklist” prohibiting 20 pro-BDS groups from entering Israel, including activists from the U.S.-based organization Jewish Voices for Peace (See CPNN January 8).

Isreal has also lobbied for legislation, which punishes activists and organizations that endorse the movement, in the U.S. and France. However, these measures have done little to deter the movements supported.  

In his remarks, Moxes also stated: “awarding a Nobel Peace Prize to the BDS movement would be a powerful sign demonstrating that the international community is committed to supporting a just peace in the Middle East and using peaceful means to end military rule and broader violations of international law.”

(Thank you to Phyllis Kotite, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Mideast

Baltimore, USA: Conference on US foreign military bases

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by Elliot Swain for Code Pink

On January 12-14, 2018, a conference in Baltimore on US foreign military bases brought together anti-war voices from all over the world. Speakers identified the many threats posed by United States military presence—from national sovereignty to the environment and public health.


US military outposts in foreign nations are vestiges of a shameful history of US imperialism dating back to the Spanish-American War and subsequent US colonization of the Philippines and Cuba. Many more bases were built during World War II and the Korean War, and still exist today. The closure of these bases could signal the twilight of a long history of bloody, costly foreign wars while affirming the principle of self-determination for all peoples. Voices from Japanese, Korean, African, Australian and Puerto Rican resistance movements came together at the conference to draw these connections and plan a peaceful future.

Fittingly, the conference marked the 16th anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Demonstrators gathered outside the White House on January 11 to demand the release of the 41 prisoners still detained without charges in the prison that former President Obama had promised to close. But as co-chair of the National Network on Cuba Cheryl LaBash said, “Guantanamo is more than a prison.” In fact, the Guantanamo military base is the oldest outpost of the United States military on foreign soil, with permanent control ceded in 1901 under the neocolonial Platt Amendment.

The campaign to shutter the illegal and abominable Guantanamo prison coincides with the more protracted fight to return the bay to the people of Cuba. The history of Guantanamo shows how the barbarism of the modern war machine follows the dehumanizing logic of a century of US imperialism. 

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Question for this article:

The peace movement in the United States, What are its strengths and weaknesses?

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The conference also devoted a plenary to the abysmal impact of both domestic and foreign military bases on the environment and public health. According to professor of environmental health Patricia Hynes, the majority of global superfund sites—sites the EPA identifies as posing risks to health or environment—are foreign military bases. Pat Elder from the group World Without War demonstrated how the Navy’s Allegheny Ballistic Center in West Virginia regularly leaks trichloroethylene, a known carcinogen, into the groundwater of the Potomac. The Naval War Center in Dahlgren, Virginia has been burning hazardous waste materials for 70 years.

The military’s impunity and recklessness towards public health is cast into sharp relief by the case of Fort Detrick in Maryland. The Army dumped radioactive sludge into the groundwater, which Frederick residents claim is directly linked to a spate of cancer-related deaths in the area. They sued, and the case was dismissed, with the judge citing “sovereign immunity.”

Though those bases are on US soil, “sovereign immunity” is all the more chilling of a verdict for the peoples of foreign nations.. Hynes described Okinawa Island as “the junk heap of the Pacific.” The island has been the dumping ground for extremely toxic defoliants like Agent Orange for several decades. Pollution from the island’s American military bases has caused hundreds of US service members and local Okinawans to become seriously ill.

The people of Okinawa have been tireless in their fight against these deadly bases. While local resistance leader Hiroji Yamashiro awaits trial on trumped-up charges, protesters turn out every single day to oppose the expansion of Marine base Camp Schwab. Indigenous movements like these are the lifeblood of the international opposition to US empire. But fundamentally, it is incumbent upon Americans to rein in the devastating impact of their government’s foreign military presence. 

The conference concluded with a call for an international summit on foreign military bases to be hosted by one of the countries presently fighting against the US military presence on their soil. It also called for the formation of an ongoing international alliance against foreign military bases. For more information and updates, go to www.noforeignbases.org. 

[Editor’s note: Additional information is available in an earlier CPNN article.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, North America

UNAMID supports demobilization of former combatants in North Darfur

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Relief Web

The demobilization of some 500 ex-combatants — part of ongoing efforts supported by UNAMID [African Union – United Nations Mission in Darfur] and partners to reintegrate former combatants into the community — concluded on 10 January in El Fasher.


© Amin Ismail, UNAMID

The fifth demobilization exercise, which started on 26 December 2017, was supported by the Sudan Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (SDDRC), in partnership with UNAMID’s Governance and Community Stabilization Section (GCSS), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

The ex-combatants — among them 85 women and 12 disabled persons — were drawn from armed movements that signed the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement and the 2011 Doha Document for Peace in Darfur.

Participants went through a verification process which was conducted by members of the Ceasefire Commission, the SDDRC and UNAMID’s GCSS. Additionally, participants received an administrative and reintegration briefing, medical checks, and were registered with the SDDRC database. Each ex-combatant was provided a reinsertion package from WFP which included dry rations for three months.

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Question related to this article:

What is the United Nations doing for a culture of peace?

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One of the participants, a former member of an armed group in her early 30s, explained that her future plans concerning reintegration into society include investing in agriculture and animal resource projects. She said that she planned to help promote a culture of peace among local communities in Darfur.

Another former combatant from the same group called on all parties to the conflict to address the root causes of the conflict in order to achieve lasting peace in Darfur. Mr. Mohammed urged all the ex-combatants not to return to war and actively participate in the stability and development projects in the region.

Mohamed Ahmed, Commissioner of the North Darfur SDDRC, said that the demobilization exercise will encourage more combatants to disarm, and benefit from economic and social stability projects.

“We will focus on community stabilization through the provision of service projects in the areas affected by the conflict”, said Mr. Ahmed.

Mr. Ahmed commended UNAMID for its continued commitment, coordination and support to ensure successful demobilization. He indicated that donor community support for the reintegration process contributes to achieving peace in Darfur.

Major Abdul Jaleel Fadol Hamza, Commander of the 5th Demobilization camp in North Darfur, highlighted the importance of the demobilization process for peace, security and stability in North Darfur. He expressed a readiness to receive more combatants who are willing to join the peace process and reintegrate in local communities.

Ezzedin Adam Mohammed, a UNAMID DDR Officer, said that demobilization represented the first step for ex-combatants to reintegrate into the community and return to civilian life.
UNAMID provided technical and logistical support to the demobilization. In addition, the Mission provided a financial package of 1,500 Sudanese Pounds for each ex-combatant prior to their final reintegration projects with UNDP. UNAMID has supported similar demobilization exercises that have taken place in the other four states of Darfur since 2011.

Africa, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

Israelis ‘Blacklists’ 20 pro-BDS Groups Banned from Entry, Including Nobel Winners AFSC

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Telesur TV

Israeli authorities, on Sunday, announced that members and representatives of 20 foreign nongovernmental organization are barred from entering the territory, noting the groups’ advocacy of boycotting the Israeli settler state over its occupation of Palestine.

According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, holders of senior and important positions in the organizations will be blacklisted along with key activists and supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement which is attempting to pressure Tel Aviv into complying with international law regarding its expanding settlements and in its treatment of the Indigenous people of Palestine.

The list’s publication follows legislation from last March and will target groups from Europe, the United States, Chile and South Africa.

“In recent years calls to boycott Israel have been growing,” the Israeli Parliament or Knesset said on its website after the law was approved. “It seems this is a new front in the war against Israel, which until now the country had not prepared for properly.”

Rights groups criticized the law as “thought control” and noted that Israel also controls who enters the Palestinian territories apart from one border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

“We have moved from defense to attack. The boycott organizations need to know that the state of Israel will act against them and will not allow them to enter its territory in order to harm its citizens,” Public Security and Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan wrote in a Hebrew-language statement.

Among the banned groups are the Paris-based Association France Palestine Solidarite, British charity War on Want and the American Friends Service Committee – a Nobel Peace Prize-winning U.S. Quaker organization that helped in assisting and rescuing victims of Nazi.

South African, French, Italian and Chilean branches of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) also featured on the blacklist.

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Question related to this article:

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

How can a culture of peace be established in the Middle East?

(article continued from left column)

The statement from Erdan’s office said that the proscribed NGOs were “the main boycott organizations which operate consistently and continuously against the state of Israel, while putting pressure on organizations, institutions and countries to boycott Israel.”

It said that they employed “a false propaganda campaign aimed at undermining Israel’s legitimacy in the world.”

However, an overwhelming majority of countries around the world see the Israeli Jewish settlements as illegal and an obstacle to potential peace in the region, which would include granting Palestinians the right to access their ancestral lands.

At a meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday with Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin told her that the boycott movement did nothing for the cause of peace.

“I believe that BDS leads to increasing hatred,” his office quoted him as saying in English.

“It symbolizes all that stands in the way of dialogue, debate, and progress,” he added.

In November, Israel denied entry to a U.S. employee of Amnesty International as part of its anti-boycott offensive.

Amnesty and Israeli officials said at the time that Raed Jarrar, an advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at the rights group, was prevented from entering the occupied West Bank.

Jarrar was turned back by Israeli authorities at the land crossing between Jordan and the West Bank.

Amnesty did not appear on Sunday’s list.

Israeli authorities said Jarrar was barred at Erdan’s orders over unspecified links with BDS.

Israel sees the boycott movement as a strategic threat and accuses it of anti-Semitism – a claim activists deny, saying they want only to see an end to Israel’s occupation.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Mideast

S.Korea receives DPRK’s list of 5-member delegation for high-level talks

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Xinhua Net

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday [January 7] sent the list of its five-member delegation to South Korea through the restored hotline in the truce village of Panmunjom for next week’s high-level inter-Korean talks, Seoul’s unification ministry said.

The DPRK delegation will be led by Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF), according to South Korea’s unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs.


In this Sept. 29, 2002 file photo, athletes from North and South Korea march together, led by a unification flag during opening ceremonies for the 14th Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.

Four other delegates included CPRF Vice Chairman Jon Jong-su, Vice Minister of Physical Culture and Sports Won Kil-u, CPRK Director Hwang Chung-song and Ri Kyong-sik, a member of National Olympic Committee of the DPRK.

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Question for this article:

Can Korea be reunified in peace?

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The previous day, South Korea already sent the list of its five-member delegation to the DPRK. South Korea’s chief delegate would be Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon.

Four other delegates were Vice Unification Minister Chung Haesung, Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Roh Tae-kang, Ahn Moon-hyun, deputy director-general at the Prime Minister’s Office, and Kim Ki-hong, a vice president of games planning at the organizing committee for the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.

The DPRK accepted South Korea’s dialogue overture Friday, agreeing to hold senior-level, inter-governmental talks Tuesday at Peace House in the South Korean side of Panmunjom that straddles the inter-Korean land border.

The hotline of direct dialogue between the two Koreas was reopened earlier this week for the first time in almost two years.

Signs of a thaw were seen on the Korean Peninsula as top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un said in his New Year’s address that his country was willing to dispatch its delegation to the South Korea-hosted Winter Olympics set to kick off in February.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed earlier this week with U.S. President Donald Trump that the two allies would not conduct the annual springtime war games between Seoul and Washington during the Winter Olympic period.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, East Asia