Mon June 9, 2003 08:40 AM ET
TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States welcomes Japan's move to push for a controversial law that will allow Tokyo to send troops to help in the reconstruction of Iraq, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said Monday. "I feel quite strongly about it," Armitage told NHK national television. "I'm thrilled that the government representing the people is debating these ideas."
His remarks came as talks began between coalition leaders and officials in Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration on the new law, which the government hopes that parliament would pass before the current session ends later this month.
Mon June 9, 2003 08:36 AM ET
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan issued a formal protest to Afghanistan Monday for dumping the bodies of 21 Taliban fighters on its territory along the border last week. Up to 40 Taliban guerrillas were killed in Afghanistan last Wednesday in what Afghan officials said was the hard-line group's most bloody defeat since it was driven from power in late 2001.
Afghan authorities later laid out 21 blood-soaked bodies in Pakistani territory along the border, to allow relatives to collect them.
Pakistan's new foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan told a news conference that Pakistan had sent a "demarche of protest" to Afghanistan for the incident.
"There was a clash in Afghanistan and there were several casualties, a number of bodies were thrown on our side and this was sort of desecration of those dead bodies," Khan said.
"This was received with concern and anger and our authorities conveyed their protest to the Afghan authorities."
Outgoing foreign ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan told the same news conference that the Afghan ambassador was called to the foreign ministry and given the demarche.
The foreign ministry said six to eight bodies were claimed by Afghan relatives living in Pakistan, while the rest were taken back to the Afghan border town of Spin Boldak.
Afghan officials are convinced an increase in attacks on troops and aid workers in Afghanistan this year has been masterminded in Pakistan, and have urged Islamabad to do more to catch Taliban and al Qaeda members hiding in its territory.