TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said on Friday that ''if we can't turn Iraq into a democratic and stable state, it will become a country where terrorism grows and this will be a bad development for all countries.''
Responding to questions of A.A in Tokyo, Japan where Koizimi government decided to send 600 soldiers to Iraq causing great discussion in the country, Kawaguchi said that the Middle East was very important for Japan in many respects including energy.
Kawaguchi said that the Middle East had to be in peace and stability, adding that there were two problematic places in the Middle East namely Iraq and Palestine. Noting that those two problems were interrelated, Kawaguchi said that unless one of them was sorted out, the other one could not be solved totally.
Regarding Iraqi issue, Japanese Foreign Minister said that Japan, as the second biggest economic power of the world, had a responsibility in helping the development of Iraq. Kawaguchi said that Japan announced that it would contribute to Iraq by giving 5 billion dollars, adding that Japan would also donate 1.5 billion dollars for development of Iraq next year.
Kawaguchi remarked that the Japanese government decided to send a troop to Iraq not to fight, but to carry out development activities and Japan wanted to explain this fact to neighbours of Iraq.
Regarding the criticisms saying that Japan acted against its constitution by deciding to send soldiers to a foreign country outside U.N. umbrella since the Second World War, Kawaguchi said that the decision of the Japanese government to send soldiers to Iraq didn't mean change in its policy. Commenting that the decision was still within the limits of the Japanese Constitution, Kawaguchi said that the constitution prohibited sending of Japanese soldiers to another country for fighting. He stressed that the Japan was not sending soldiers to fight in Iraq, and there was no change in Japanese policy in that regard. Kawaguchi added that the decision was taken in line with U.N. Resolution No. 1482 and 1511 which asked members states to contribute to development of Iraq.
Kawaguchi said that he did not think that Japanese people wanted to deviate from their pacifist constitution at the moment.
He thought nobody wanted to amend the constitution to send soldiers to any war in other countries, Kawaguchi noted.
Kawaguchi said that people did not want such things and they did not make such an amendment to the Constitution.
They were trying to help other countries within the framework of their current constitution, Kawaguchi stated.
Kawaguchi pointed out that they wanted to contribute to humanitarian needs and development needs of other countries.
Their soldiers had earlier served in United Nations (U.N.) peace forces sent to East Timor, Golan Heights, and Cambodia, Kawaguchi said.
Kawaguchi stated that they were going today not as a U.N. peace force, but again within the scope of U.N. resolutions.
Japanese Foreign Minister Kawaguchi said that his country insistently demanded a reform in U.N. structure.
Kawaguchi underlined that Japan was the second country following the United States which made the highest contribution to the budget of U.N. but complained that Japan did not have as much influence as Security Council permanent members.
They wanted to do more to contribute to world peace and stability, Kawaguchi said. But, he noted, there was need for reform in U.N. to reach their target.
Kawaguchi stated that he proposed to hold a summit meeting to discuss the reform in the speech he made in U.N. General Assembly in September.
They were discussing those issues for 10 years and it was time to show their political will, Kawaguchi pointed out.
Kawaguchi said that they believed that Japan ''could speak in world arena and act as a political leader'' today whatever its position in U.N. was.
Japanese Foreign Minister Kawaguchi said that Japan was closely interested in problems of the Palestinians and was one of countries which extended the biggest assistance to Palestinians.
Noting that he went there in May, Kawaguchi said that they wanted Palestinian people to know that they were aware of their situation and they were thinking about them.
Kawaguchi stated that they wanted to help them in reforms which they considered very important, adding that they supported the confidence-building process between Palestinians and Israelis.
(Öª-BRC-AÖ) 19.12.2003