Press Conference by the Press Secretary 4 December, 1998

1. Response of the Government of Japan to the decision of the Cabinet of the State of Israel concerning the implementation of the Wye River Agreement
2. Support by the Government of Japan for the Middle East peace process
3. Possibility of high-level visits from the Republic of India
4. Loans from international financial institutions to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of India

1. Response of the Government of Japan to the decision of the Cabinet of the State of Israel concerning the implementation of the Wye River Agreement

   Deputy Press Secretary Masaki Okada: Good afternoon. There are two papers related to the Middle East peace process now available to you. On this occasion, I would like to give a briefing concerning the Middle East. As you know, the Wye River Agreement made in October between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, really created a political breakthrough for the long-stagnating Middle East peace process. However, there are still people who are not satisfied with this Agreement and mistrust between the parties persists. In short, the environment of the Middle East peace is still very unstable. In this context, the Government of Japan is concerned about the decision made by the Cabinet of Israel on 2 December to attach conditions to Israel's implementation of the Wye River Agreement. The Government of Japan urges the two parties concerned to refrain from statements and actions that could have a negative effect on the climate of future peace negotiations and to implement the Wye River Agreement.

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2. Support by the Government of Japan for the Middle East peace process

   Deputy Press Secretary Masaki Okada: Japan has been making efforts to build an environment conducive to the peace negotiations and other efforts towards the achievement of peace in the Middle East. We have been directly urging the parties concerned to make efforts to realize peace, actively taking up assistance to the Palestinians as well as to the surrounding nations. Within the context of the multilateral track, Japan chairs the Working Group on Environment and continues to dispatch personnel as well as Self-Defense Forces (SDF) units to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). Japan intends to make particular efforts in the following areas, as I explain now, to maintain the momentum now created by the Wye River Agreement. First, regarding assistance to the Palestinians, Japan deems the smooth implementation of Palestinian self-government indispensable for the realization of peace. Japan therefore, actively working with the international society, has implemented assistance of more than US$370 million in the past five years since 1993. Japan is one of the major donors among the United States and the European Union (EU). Japan decided on further support up to US$200 million to be implemented in two years. This was expressed at the Conference to Support Middle East Peace and Development convened by President William Clinton of the United States and held on 30 November in Washington. I understand that our pledge was highly appreciated by many countries, including the United States, the Palestinian Authority as well as The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. As for the areas for future assistance, we have in mind the development of human resources for education and health, strengthening the capability of the Palestinian government, supporting the environment, culture exchange and industrial development. Also, the construction of infrastructure to ensure the safe passage between the West Bank and Gaza Strip to help the implementation of the Wye River Agreement will be a priority area.

   The second area is the multilateral track. Japan chairs, as I told you, the Working Group on the Environment within the framework of the multilateral track established in 1992 as a part of the peace process. The Working Group on the Environment has been continuously undertaking projects or seminars concerning desertification control, ocean pollution and so on. Japan has been actively participating in such activities and hosting meetings to coordinate activities of the countries concerned. In a series of activities of the Working Group on the Environment, the Japanese Government hosted a seminar on combating desertification at the Arid Land Research Center of Tottori University from 24 November to 3 December. Utilizing the advanced facilities at the Center, this seminar invited a total of 12 participants from the Arab Republic of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Palestinian Authority and the Republic of Tunisia to provide lectures, exercises and observation tours on topics such as water resources development, saline accumulation, soil degradation and vegetable cultivation in arid and semi-arid areas. Japan intends to continue active efforts as the chair country for the vitalization of the activities of the Working Group on the Environment. So this is a rather comprehensive explanation of our policy concerning the Middle East peace.

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3. Possibility of high-level visits from the Republic of India

   Q: Do you expect any high-level visits from India in the near future?

   Mr. Okada: We have been coordinating the dates for the meeting of Foreign Ministers, but I have not heard of any concrete progress recently. I have no information to report to you about that.

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4. Loans from international financial institutions to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of India

   Q: America has lifted its objection to World Bank, IMF and ADB loans to Pakistan but not to India. Is Japan going to follow the American line?

   Mr. Okada: In regard to the credit to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, there are some urgent projects or programs going on within the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In that context, when Foreign Minister Sardaj Aziz of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan came to Japan, there were talks between Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura and Foreign Minister Aziz, and we were convinced by his explanations concerning the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Therefore, the Japanese Government at the time expressed that Japan would support loans from the international financial institutions as necessary to support Pakistan's IMF program currently under negotiation in consultation with other Group of Eight (G8) members. As far as I understand, there are no such current topics concerning loans from the IMF to India, therefore that is not on the agenda.

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