Japan supports resolution giving Iraq March 17 deadline

Japan supports resolution giving Iraq March 17 deadline ______________________________________

Saturday, March 8, 2003 at 18:00 JST TOKYO — Japan supports a new revised U.N. Security Council resolution draft giving Iraq a March 17 deadline to comply with all U.N. disarmament demands and continue to urge council members to adopt it, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Saturday.

"Japan supports the proposed resolution as something that will mark the final step of the global community's effort to pressure Iraq to disarm on its own," Kawaguchi said in a statement.

Kawaguchi issued the statement as the Security Council remains divided over whether to continue arms inspections in Iraq or to use force to disarm it, even after the United States, Britain and Spain presented the new draft in New York on Friday.

The U.S. is hoping the Security Council will vote on the revised resolution as early as next Tuesday.

The Japanese government has long been calling for a new resolution that would authorize a military operation against Iraq to get rid of its alleged weapons of mass destruction before the U.S. and Britain launch an attack.

But with France, Russia, China, Germany and several other countries insisting that a military operation is premature and the inspections should continue, the prospects of a new resolution being adopted appear slim.

Regarding the March 17 deadline, one Japanese government source said, "It means the U.S. cannot wait more than that. Washington will probably make desperate efforts to gain a majority of the votes on the Security Council."

The resolution must be approved by nine of the 15 Security Council members, without a veto from any of the five permanent council members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S.

Japan, which has described Iraq's cooperation with weapons inspectors as insufficient, is poised to express support for the U.S. in the event it decides to go through with a military campaign against Iraq without a new resolution, the sources said.

In the meantime, Japan wants to try until the last possible moment to get the Security Council to show a unified stance by adopting a new resolution and will make efforts to obtain as much information as possible about the council's closed-door discussions, the sources said.

Britain submitted the revised draft after the Security Council heard a report by chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix earlier Friday saying the inspectors need "months" to complete their mandate in Iraq.

A senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said the report by Blix, in which he said that the inspections were progressing but that there were still unsolved issues concerning Iraq's weapons programs, was "within the realm of assumption."

Senior officials of the Foreign Ministry and the prime minister's office met Friday to analyze the latest developments and discuss how to deal with the situation. (Kyodo News)

New info from Japan Times (looks like Tokyo is squarely in our court...they want support to hold NorKor in check).
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Japan backs revised U.N. resolution against Iraq

By KANAKO TAKAHARA
Staff writer

Japan expressed support Saturday for a revised draft resolution submitted jointly by the United States, Britain and Spain to the United Nations Security Council that sets March 17 as the deadline for Iraq to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction.
"The (revised) draft resolution will serve as a final effort by the international community to together pressure Iraq so that it will voluntarily disarm," said Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi in a statement. "We will support this (resolution)."

Kawaguchi added that the government will continue its diplomatic efforts "so that the international society will come together as one," an indication that Tokyo plans to urge other members of the Security Council to support the revised resolution.

"(The March 17 deadline) means the U.S. will wait no longer than that date," said a government source, suggesting that war is imminent.

Media opinion polls indicate that the majority of Japanese people are opposed to a war against Iraq, but the government's quick announcement of its support reflects Tokyo's concern that if it takes a soft stance on Iraq, North Korea -- which is suspected of developing nuclear weapons -- may take it as a "wrong message."

"Japan's attitude toward the Iraq issue will naturally affect the situation over North Korea," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said earlier this month. "We must make the Japan-U.S. alliance a firm one so that it will act as a deterrent toward the North."

In its most recent provocative move, North Korean jet fighters intercepted a U.S. spy plane last week, flying within 15 meters of the U.S. aircraft.

Thursday's remark by U.S. President George W. Bush -- that Washington will force a vote on the Iraq resolution within days -- apparently encouraged the Japanese government to express its clear support for the revised resolution.

It has been widely speculated that the U.S., Britain and Spain will not put their resolution to a vote in the Security Council if they do not believe they can secure the nine votes required to have it adopted.

A senior Foreign Ministry official said he believed the U.S. decided to force a vote since it was confident of winning the nine votes, adding that he was surprised by the president's clear-cut statement.

Veteran lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, including former Secretary General Hiromu Nonaka, have been openly critical of the government's position on the Iraq issue.

However, New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki, whose party is said to have close ties with Nonaka, said Saturday the revised resolution shows that the international community is determined to deal with the issue of Iraq together.

"Criticism will disappear the minute military action is taken against Iraq as the issue concerns national interest," said a senior member of the ruling party, who asked not to be named.

Naoto Kan, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, criticized the government for supporting the revised draft resolution, saying Japan should support further inspections in Iraq.

"I cannot say Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is trustworthy but calling for an attack is too impetuous," he said.

In the event of a war, Japan is expected to provide humanitarian aid but not direct support for military operations.

On Friday, Senior Vice Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told an LDP panel that Japan is considering three types of support: providing aid to refugees from Iraq; offering financial support to countries neighboring Iraq; and taking the lead in the country's postwar reconstruction process.

The government is weighing the possibility of new legislation that would pave the way for Self-Defense Force troops to be dispatched to support reconstruction once the war is over.

It is unlikely, however, that Japan will provide logistic support to the U.S.-led operation against Iraq, as it did in operations in Afghanistan, or shoulder any of the expenses for the war.

The Japan Times: March 9, 2003

Interesting, I just noted this line in the Japan Times story: "The government is weighing the possibility of new legislation that would pave the way for Self-Defense Force troops to be dispatched to support reconstruction once the war is over."

The Japanese have considerable experience in reconstruction after both manmade and natural disaster.

However, in order for them to participate, they have to be secure in their own border (which is threatened by Nor Kor missiles currently).

The win-win-win scenario is to figure out how to do both Iraqi reconstruction and to bolster the SoKor/JPN/Taiwan economies at the same time.

Maybe we need to buy a bunch of computers from those guys and ship to Iraq.

well... we all realize that people are stacking the UN Sec Council anyways... that's the only way you end up with that kind of lark.

If we really wanted to move this world forwards, you'd get all democratically elected nations into one giant NGO world body.

Whenever any rogue terrorist/dictatorial moron pops up, we can all vote.

If the democratic nation does not agree, then they can sit out the fight (like France) and their economy can tank on their own.

We need to build better economic defenses in our nation.

We're sitting ducks to economic attack because the land ownership in our major cities has been commandeered by UNAmerican individuals.

These people are communists and socialists and are attempting to control healthcare for our people, manufacturing for products, and transportation.

They can NOT be permitted to succeed.

Agree! We have graphic arts wizards who can post an instant bumper sticker printout.

NO IRAQI OIL FOR FRENCH WMDS

Thanks for this suggestion, "(If you use 3M MagicTape, it peels off cleanly even after months in the sun.)"

I'm still trying to get the leftovers from Mark's big Dump Davis Stickers from the back of my OJ Simpson Bronco.

Besides our bumpers, we can put these stickers on the trash cans we roll out for delivery. Put the stickers on the front of the can and on each side, and then people can see them in any direction as they drive by. A young relative did this with his trash cans in a community that bans signs in your yard. He told the nannies that the signs were on his leased garbage cans and not in his yard. He would leave the cans out a day before pickup, the day of pickup and the day after.

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Only UNamericans put

the UN before America!

The UN is UNamerican!

"Time to dump the UN!"