Incheon local government's decision to shut down an Arab cultural center has drawn a backlash from Arabian ambassadors in South Korea, according to government sources and lawmakers here Sunday.

If the situations remains unresolved, the issue is expected to damage the Lee Myung-bak administration's push to establish closer ties with Arab and other nations rich in energy resources, they said.

Ambassadors from Arab states are criticizing the government for taking advantage of construction of the center to woo support from Arab states in its bid to host the Asian Games in 2014 and subsequently changing its position after winning the bid, they said. Incheon won the right to host the Games.

South Korea is the world's fifth biggest oil importer, with annual purchases reaching around 900 million barrels, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The Arab nations also make up 12 percent of Seoul's total trade, ranking them fourth. Sixty-three percent of South Korea's plant and construction orders are from the Middle East.

A group of ambassadors from Arab states held meetings last Thursday with a vice foreign minister and Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo to protest the shutdown plan, the sources said.

During the meetings, the group led by ambassadors from Saudi Arabia and Oman argued that the closure would not only seriously tarnish South Korea's image in the Arab world but also deal a blow to Seoul's economic cooperation with Arab states, they added.

``Arab ambassadors expressed their strong discontent about the decision. They seemed to feel it was an insult to the whole Arab world,'' Rep. Song Young-ghil of the main opposition Democratic Party, who attended a ceremony in Seoul to mark the National Day of the United Arab Emirates last Monday. ``I'm very worried that this issue could escalate into a diplomatic dispute and even compromise our national interests.''

In an e-mail sent to Song Wednesday, Saudi Arabian Ambassador Abdullah A. Al-Aifan said any shutdown of a pure Arab culture center was tantamount to giving in to extremists opposing Muslim culture, the lawmaker said.

The ambassador pledged to take the issue to the Arab world unless the plan is reversed, he added.

Incheon officials had said the city would modify the center to one for various cultures, not just for Arabian culture.

But some Arab envoys claim the shutdown was decided following complaints by some local Christian groups that the center was serving as a tool to expand the religion of Islam here.

In June, South Korea and 22 Arab nations launched the Korea-Arab Society aimed at enhancing public understanding of Islamic culture and foster human networks. The society also aims to explore joint business and investment opportunities in South Korea and the Middle East.

The Arab world refers to 22 states in North Africa and the Middle East, which are home to 325 million people who speak Arabic and mostly practice Islam.

Currently, 13 Arab states have embassies in South Korea.

The 22 Arab member states of the society possess about 55 percent of the world's oil reserves and some 30 percent of liquefied natural gas reserves, according to the foreign ministry. They account for 71 percent of Seoul's crude oil imports and 48 percent of its natural gas imports, it said.

Sixty-three percent of South Korea's plant and construction orders are from the Middle East.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr