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Japan-Liberia Summit Talks

March 12, 2007

Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, had talks today with H.E. Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, for about 40 minutes from 11:00 a.m. at his official residence.

1. At the summit talks, Prime Minister Abe welcomed Mrs. Sirleaf's visit to Japan as the first made by a Liberian president. He also stated that he highly appreciates her leadership as she endeavors for good governance, national reconciliation and rehabilitation as the first democratically elected woman president in Africa.
2. Mr. Abe then said that Japan has decided to extend, through international organizations, assistance of about 2,260,000 dollars to aid former child soldiers and people who were sexually exploited or subjected to violence, and a food aid of about 1,800,000 dollars. He added that Japan is planning to contribute about 2,500,000 dollars through international organizations to help refugees of Liberia return to their homes.
3. President Johnson-Sirleaf expressed her deep appreciation of Japan's past assistance and of its recently pledged assistance for Liberia's efforts for Consolidation of Peace. She also expressed Liberia's great expectation that in working-level policy consultations following Japan's recent pledge to resume bilateral economic cooperation, Japan would decide on its coming assistance policy toward Liberia. In response to a request for debt relief from President Sirleaf, Prime Minister Abe said that Japan understands Liberia's debt problem and that progress would be seen in discussions at the G7 and international organizations.
4. Both leaders confirmed that the two countries are important partners in the international arena and that they would continue to cooperate with each other in the issues of U.N. Security Council reform and North Korea. Regarding the reform of the U.N. and its Security Council, President Sirleaf said that she intended to work directly on African leaders at the African Union Summit at the end of June from the viewpoint of promoting human security that Japan has been pursuing. President Sirleaf also said that Liberia supported the resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in conformity with Liberia's respect for human dignity and honor and that this stance would be constant in the future.