Lee promises to provide practical support for Afghanistan

SEOUL, April 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said Thursday
that his government will look for ways to extend practical assistance to war-torn
Afghanistan through close cooperation with the U.S.
Lee made the remark while meeting with Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy
to Pakistan and Afghanistan, who stopped here on his way to a two-day
international meeting on aiding Pakistan scheduled to continue in Tokyo through
Friday.
"South Korea and the U.S. are tied by alliance. (South Korea) will look for ways
to offer actual assistance to Afghanistan," Lee was quoted as saying at the
meeting at the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae.
"South Korean people were killed in Al-Qaeda terrorist attack in Yemen last
month. No country in the world is safe from terrorism," the president said,
according to spokesperson Kim Eun-hye.
In response, Holbrooke delivered President Barack Obama's special thanks to Lee
for his decision to extend full support for the reconstruction of Afghanistan,
the spokesperson said.
Lee and Obama met in London in early April and discussed closer cooperation on
Afghanistan and other global issues.
Following the meeting, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Lee's remarks referred to
the South Korean government's plan to contribute in non-combat fields, such as
agriculture and police training.
"A dispatch of military troops to Afghanistan was not discussed during Lee's
meeting with Holbrooke," said the official.
ycm@yna.co.kr
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