Dr. Mohammad H. Hammoud, Undersecretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq, Pays Courtesy Call on Mr. Masahiko Koumura, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan

June 3, 2008

  For about 15 minutes from 15:05 on June 3 (Tue), a visiting Iraqi negotiation team for an agreement between the U.S. and Iraq, headed by Dr. Mohammad H. Hammoud, Undersecretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq, paid a courtesy call on Mr. Masahiko Koumura, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.  The followings are the gist of the meeting.

1.  Mr. Koumura stated:

(1)  He welcomes the visit of the delegation.  He understands that their stay in Japan has been fruitful as they had opportunities to receive detailed briefing on the Japan-U.S. Status-of-Forces Agreement from the experts within the Government of Japan and to visit a U.S. base in Japan.

(2)  The Government of Japan has consistently supported the reconstruction of Iraq through the dispatch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces as well as the provision of ODA and continue to proactively assist Iraq.  It is also part of Japan’s contribution to Iraq to receive the delegation.

(3)   Japan has closely cooperated with the United States in various fields including politics, security, and economy.  The strong alliance between Japan and the U.S. contributes greatly to the stability of East Asia.

(4)  Staunch relations between Iraq and the U.S. are important for stability in Iraq and the Middle Eastern region.  Japan will not spare its assistance to provide indirect support to this end.

(5)  He is pleased to see signs of improvement of the security situation in Iraq, and expects continuous efforts by the Government of Iraq for it.

(6) Regarding the political situation in Iraq, Japan recognizes that national reconciliation is gaining certain momentum with adoption of important bills such as the Accountability and Justice Law that enables the former Ba’ath Party members to reassume a public position.  Japan has been also providing support for Iraq in tackling political issues by hosting seminars on National Reconciliation for the past two years in a row.  Japan expects that provincial elections will be held successfully with an early passage of the Provincial Elections Law, and that the Oil and Gas Law will be enacted at an early stage this year.

2.  In response, Dr. Hammoud stated:

(1)  He is honored to have the opportunity to pay a courtesy call on Mr. Koumura despite the busy schedule of the Minister.  Iraq is now negotiating the Status-of-Forces Agreement with the United States.  In negotiating with the U.S., he would like to make use of the experience of Japan, which has a security treaty with the U.S. for a long time.  He appreciates the detailed briefings and also the assistance provided by the Government of Japan to Iraq to date.

(2)  The security situation of Iraq has been improving.  The initiatives of Prime Minister Maliki in Basra and Mosul has been successful.  He hopes that Iraqi reconstruction efforts will be further accelerated.

Related Information (The Issue of Iraq)