Thu Sep 27, 2:43 AM ETTOKYO (AFP) - Eleven nations Thursday jointly called on Japan's political opposition to drop objections to a naval mission supporting US-led forces in Afghanistan, which the new government is fighting to renew.
The call came a day after Japan's new Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda promised in telephone talks with US President George W. Bush to do his best to extend the mission, which provides free fuel to coalition war jets and ships.
The opposition, saying that officially pacifist Japan should not be part of "American wars," has vowed to end the mission since taking control of one house of parliament.
In a joint statement, envoys from 11 nations said Japan "has made unique and vital contributions" to international efforts "to promote peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan."
"The members of the coalition acknowledge and greatly appreciate Japan's support in this regard and hope that Japan will continue its important contribution," the diplomats said after a meeting hosted by Pakistan.
The envoys who attended the talks included US Ambassador Thomas Schieffer, who earlier met but failed to persuade Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), to extend the naval mission.
"I'm always ready to meet with Mr Ozawa. We would enjoy having a good relationship with the DPJ as we've had in the past," Schieffer told reporters at the residence of his Pakistani counterpart, Kamran Niaz.
Besides the United States and Pakistan, the joint appeal was also signed by ambassadors or senior Tokyo-based envoys from Afghanistan, Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and New Zealand.
Fukuda took over as prime minister Tuesday from Shinzo Abe, who resigned after staking his job on renewing the Afghanistan mission.
Opinion polls Thursday showed that Fukuda enjoyed strong initial support and that public opinion had shifted to support extending the naval deployment.
The DPJ and a pacifist group have alleged that some of the Japanese fuel has been diverted to US ships which are part of the Iraq war.
Schieffer denied the pacifist group's report last week that Japan provided fuel in February 2003 to the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier, which took part in the invasion of Iraq.
"The war in Iraq did not start until March 20... and Kitty Hawk was originally dispatched for Operation Enduring Freedom," Schieffer said, referring to the war against Afghanistan's Taliban extremists.
But Schieffer said he took the claim "seriously" and would reinvestigate.
While Japan also supported the Iraq invasion, such refueling would be illegal as Japanese legislation says the naval mission is only for the "war on terrorism" in Afghanistan.
Posts
