EXCLUSIVE: UNC-R Chief Wants Diplomatic Solution to N. Korea Tensions

June 4, 2018

Tokyo- U.N. Command-Rear Commander Adam Williams has expressed hopes for a peaceful solution through diplomacy to the tensions over the Korean Peninsula.

The situation surrounding the peninsula is "changing very rapidly," Williams said in a recent interview with Jiji Press. "But diplomacy is at work," he added, expressing "hopes it will lead to positive results."

At the same time, Williams emphasized the importance of maintaining the ability to send U.N. troops to the Korean Peninsula through Japan during the armistice.

Under the armistice, it is important for U.N. forces to use designated U.S. facilities in Japan as countries sending troops to the U.N. mission will become "familiar with the processes and requirements for entry (to Japan) under SOFA" and "demonstrate the commitment to regional peace and security in the region," he said.

The U.N. forces, set up after the Korean War broke out in June 1950, are governed by the status of forces agreement with Japan governs when they stay in the nation. SOFA, concluded in June 1954 following the 1953 armistice, is still valid. Under the agreement, the U.N. forces are allowed to use designated U.S. military facilities in Japan.

Williams, a colonel of the Royal Australian Air Force, became U.N. Command-Rear commander in January this year. His main duty is to coordinate between the Japanese government and 11 countries taking part in the U.N. mission on the Korean Peninsula when U.N. ships or aircraft use U.S. bases in Japan under SOFA.

Williams said he communicates with Japan's Foreign Ministry "very regularly."

SOFA allows the use of designated facilities to provide sufficient logistical support for the U.N. forces. The agreement is designed to "maintain the very important tie" between the Japan government and the member nations in the U.N. mission and plays a "role to deter North Korea," Williams said.

Currently, Williams works with three other officers at the U.N. command, which has been headquartered in the U.S. military's Yokota base in Tokyo since the relocation in 2007 from Camp Zama in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. But if the armistice fails, the number of personnel would be increased in order to handle busier U.N. troop traffic in Japan, Williams said.

Williams said the international community has responded resolutely to North Korea's provocation and violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

He noted that aircraft in the U.N. mission are involved in surveillance activities to prevent maritime smuggling by North Korea, operating from U.S. bases in Japan under the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Such an international effort "contributes to create conditions conducive to diplomacy with North Korea and ensures security and stability in the region," Williams said.

Williams, a former pilot of the C-17 Globemaster large transport aircraft, once joined missions of Australian aircraft dispatched to Afghanistan and the Middle East. Jiji Press