Press Conference by the Press Secretary July 4, 1997

Situation in the Kingdom of Cambodia
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nobuaki Tanaka: The Second Consultative Group Meeting on Cambodia was held on 1-2 July in Paris under the chairmanship of the World Bank. Fifteen donors participated in the meeting, including Japan, the French Republic, the United States of America and six international organizations, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asia Development Bank (ADB), as well as the Kingdom of Cambodia itself. They discussed the macroeconomic policies and the development plan of Cambodia. They also discussed the subject of aid coordination. We obtained a clear commitment from the Government of Cambodia to improving the fiscal situation, to sustainable forestry development, to further promotion of administrative reforms and to engagement in further arms reduction. In the meeting, we obtained a total pledge in 1997 of US$450 million. Of this total, the Japanese contribution was US$71.6 million, which includes US$1 million for mine removal. We also had an informal political meeting preceding the Consultative Group Meeting under the auspices of the Government of the French Republic to discuss the situation in Cambodia. All those on the donor side requested that the Government of Cambodia ensure political stability in the country, which is the precondition for the assistance that we would provide.

The Government of Cambodia explained its effort to us with a view to resuming a parliamentary session and holding a national election.
Visit of President Alberto Fujimori of the Republic of Peru to Japan
Q: Regarding President Fujimori's visit to Japan, Prime Minister Hashimoto asked President Fujimori to improve security conditions in Peru. What kinds of things did he specifically ask about?

Spokesman Tanaka: Yesterday, there was a meeting between Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and President Alberto Fujimori of the Republic of Peru. The discussion took place from 09:30 for about one and a half hours. They discussed five major issues. One is the accident that has happened in Tokyo Bay, and also the El Nino phenomenon. Second, is the Peru hostage incident. The third is our assistance to Peru. The fourth is Japanese immigration to that country. The fifth is our joint effort to combat terrorism. I think your question is related to the Peru hostage question. President Fujimori explained to us that the Peruvian situation is now getting better, that they have overcome the aftereffects of the hostage crisis, and that the domestic situation in Peru is stabilizing. President Fujimori said that he would like to learn lessons from this crisis and he would continue to combat terrorism at home. Prime Minister Hashimoto expressed sincere thanks and appreciation for all the efforts that the Peruvian side extended to overcome this hostage crisis. He conveyed condolences to those who suffered from that incident. Prime Minister Hashimoto pledged himself to the further strengthening of the bilateral relationship between the two countries. However, we do not have a readout stating that Prime Minister Hashimoto expressed concern about the domestic security conditions in Peru.

Q: Does the Japanese Government plan to engage in economic cooperation with Peru? In the future, do you plan to once again send the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to Peru?

Spokesman Tanaka: Our economic assistance to Peru has been suspended in most areas. But now, we would like to dispatch a survey team headed by Ambassador Edamura, who was the former Director-General for Latin American Affairs, sometime around October of this year to Peru in order to formulate medium- and long-term economic assistance policy. I believe that that is quite important in that it would set the course for whatever long-term economic assistance that we would provide to that country. That aside, Prime Minister Hashimoto has pledged to extend an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan of up to 42.617 million yen to Peru. Basically, this loan is to help Peru to deal with alleviation of poverty, local development and also certain emergency needs, e.g., water supply, and so forth. We also are considering providing grant-aid to Peru. We also pledge to cooperate with Peru on various fronts such as export promotion, resource exploration and training within private corporations. To recapitulate, we would like to send a survey team, which is quite important in determining our long-term policy. At the same time, we provide a yen loan and other assistance to strengthen Peru's capacity for development.
Terrorism
Q: Concerning terrorism, is there any agreement concerning cooperation between the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Japan?

Spokesman Tanaka: No, not to my knowledge. We do not have any readout about terrorism.
Tokyo Bay oil spill
Q: What is the latest information on the oil spill in Tokyo Bay?

Spokesman Tanaka: I am not fully prepared to answer that question. However, regarding the international aspect of this situation, we are certainly ready to welcome any offer from the international community. We have already accepted an offer from the Government of the United States to help us in tackling this oil spill in Tokyo Bay. They sent us several tug boats to assist in cleaning up this oil spill.

Q: Do you know how much the entire cost of the cleanup will be?

Spokesman Tanaka: I do not have that information.

Q: Will there be any legal procedures brought against the owner of the ship?

Spokesman Tanaka: That is a matter for future consideration. I do not have a reply for that at the moment.
Security for the visit to Japan by President Alberto Fujimori of the Republic of Peru
Q: I noticed you have a lot of security with President Fujimori while he is here. Do you anticipate trouble while he is here? Why is the security so heavy?

Spokesman Tanaka: Perhaps that is your visual impression. I do not have any information to suggest that we have particularly heavy security for President Fujimori.

Q: Wednesday, when a small group made a demonstration, there were maybe 150 policemen attending to that situation.

Spokesman Tanaka: I have no knowledge of this. However, it is free for anyone in this country to air their views. So, there may be a small group in Japan who have particular views about Peru, etc.

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