Posted on 03/11/2003 6:47:57 AM PST by areafiftyone
TOKYO (AP) -- Japan upped diplomatic pressure on Mexico Tuesday to help push through a U.S.-backed war resolution, as it tries to pull in key votes on the U.N. Security Council.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged the adoption of a March 17 ultimatum for Iraq to disarm or face war, telling Mexican President Vincente Fox that international divisions were putting the United Nations authority at stake, according to a statement released by the Foreign Ministry here.
"If the international community is divided, it will not only benefit Iraq but also bring into grave doubt the United Nations' authority and its practicality," he told Fox in a phone call Tuesday.
Fox - who has been seeking a last-minute compromise among the sharply divided council - acknowledged the importance of a unified message but refused to take sides.
"Mexico is taking an independent position and is not leaning to either side," Fox said.
The U.N. Security Council remains bitterly divided over the newly revised draft resolution that would set the ultimatum. It is co-sponsored by the United States, Britain and Spain - and strongly opposed by France, Russia, China and Germany.
Washington had wanted a vote as early as Tuesday, but with France and Russia threatening to veto the current draft resolution, and without the minimum nine "yes" votes, it held up action in the council.
Though Japan does not currently hold a seat on the 15-member council, it has joined the intense lobbying behind the scenes after declaring its support Saturday for the ultimatum.
Koizumi also met with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy visiting in Tokyo Tuesday to restate their mutual support for the U.S.-back position.
Tokyo has contacted council members, including undecided Pakistan, Chile, Mexico, Guinea, Cameroon, with phone calls in the past 24 hours.
Now, nearly a century later, I wonder if it will be revealed to us that the Chinese have 10,000 troops in Mexico ?
They've forgotten that the 1914 Battle of Vera Cruz was a one day affair.
How narrow-minded of you to overlook their full capabilities! With all the sniffing they're so fond of (wine corks, cheese, despot butts), I can't believe you didn't think we could entrust them to clean the bathrooms, too ;-)
I must add that believe it or not, however, the country whose UN voting record has historically most closely mirrored our own is Japan. Japan has been a very consistent and WILLING ally of the US since WWII. While not a major military power, they are a powerful friend because of the enormous size and technological prowess of their economy (second only to our own). This gives us additional leverage around the world with many nations, including Mexico.
It's also worth noting that since 1854, Japan has been friendly to the US with the exception of the years 1924 to 1945. In 1924, Congress passed the Japanese exclusion act which prohibited further Japanese emigration to this country, and which the Japanese found highly offensive. Even a cursory examination of FDR's behavior toward Japan reveals that he was deliberately prodding Japan towards war with us. Hoover later wrote that "If you put enough pins in a rattlesnake, it will bite." Pearl Harbor didn't happen in a vacuum. FDR had in the months previous seized all Japanese assets in the US (a recognized act of war), and refused to sell them oil or other raw materials. While Japan was stupid to bomb Pearl Harbor (a military installation unlike WTC), FDR had backed them into a corner where Japan felt war was inevitable. FDR has as much or more to blame for Pearl Harbor as Japan did.
Pragmatist
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