Press Conference 16 June 2000

1. Announcement on the North-South Joint Declaration
2. Acceptance by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) proposal for the cessation of hostilities
3. Japan's concerns over the current situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo
4. Japan's position with respect to the situation in the Solomon Islands and the Republic of Fiji
5. Questions pertaining to the North-South Korea Summit Meeting and future relations between Japan, the Republic of Korea and North Korea
6. Japan's position on the Middle East peace process following the demise of President Hafez al-Assad of the Syrian Arab Republic

1. Announcement on the North-South Joint Declaration

   Deputy Press Secretary Chikahito Harada: My first announcement is on the North-South Joint Declaration. Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono made a comment yesterday on the Declaration, and I would like to repeat the main part of the comment.

   "I think it a matter of historic significance that the leaders of the Republic of Korea and North Korea directly exchanged views after the Korean Peninsula was divided into two parts approximately half a century ago, and that in addition they signed in person a joint document for the first time in history. Each item listed in the North-South Joint Declaration is significant for both the Republic of Korea and North Korea, while I am expecting to receive information regarding the Declaration in more detail from the Republic of Korea side in due course. The Government of Japan welcomes this achievement, which proves that the leaders of both the Republic of Korea and North Korea have deepened mutual confidence and understanding. I strongly hope that based upon the result of the talks, dialogue between the Republic of Korea and North Korea continues and develops, and that the tension in the Korean Peninsula will ease. I hope that this trend also has a positive influence on the normalization talks between Japan and North Korea."

   In this context, Senior Secretary for Diplomacy and Security for President Kim Dae Jung, Hwang Won Tak, will visit Japan on 19-20 June as a special envoy of President Kim Dae Jung to give a detailed briefing and exchange views on the North-South Summit Meeting held in Pyongyang.

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2. Acceptance by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) proposal for the cessation of hostilities

   Mr. Harada: Foreign Minister Kono issued a statement yesterday, and I would like to read it out to you.

   "The State of Eritrea and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia have announced their acceptance of the proposal by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on 9 and 14 June respectively for the cessation of hostilities. The Government of Japan welcomes the decisions made by both countries, as it has continuously urged both countries to stop fighting in the past. Japan would also like to commend the Democratic People's Republic of Algeria, the current Chairman of OAU, for its mediation efforts, and appreciate the support to such efforts extended so far, particularly by the United States of America and the European Union. Japan hopes that the acceptance of the said proposal by the two countries will lead to the peaceful lasting resolution of the dispute, and is determined to continue its active efforts to that end.

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3. Japan's concerns over the current situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo

   Mr. Harada: The Government of Japan is deeply concerned about the repeated outbreaks of fighting between the Ugandan Peoples Defense Force and the Rwandan Patriotic Army in the city of Kisangani in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the sign that the Movement for Liberation of the Congo is trying to advance toward the capital city of Kinshasa along the Ubangi River in the last few weeks. Such actions are a serious violation of the Cease-fire Agreement. Japan once again strongly appeals to the parties concerned to implement the Cease-fire Agreement. We are now preparing a press statement by the Press Secretary on this issue, and we will distribute it once it is ready.

   Related Information (Japan-the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relations)
   
4. Japan's position with respect to the situation in the Solomon Islands and the Republic of Fiji

   Mr. Harada: I understand that Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu of the Solomon Islands resigned on the evening of 13 June and that the situation in the Solomon Islands remains highly unstable. Many foreign nationals, including Japanese nationals, have evacuated the country, and Japanese Embassy staff also left the capital recently for the town of Noro. We are gravely concerned about the current situation.

   We are also worried about the situation in the Republic of Fiji, where more than one month has passed since the takeover of the Fijian Parliament by the group of armed men. The country is still under marital law and the hostages are yet to be freed. A Commonwealth ministerial mission with the participation of the Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Botswana, the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand, arrived in Fiji to work on the Fijian parties concerned. We will pay close attention to the outcome of the talks.

   The Government of Japan strongly hopes for the immediate release of hostages in Fiji as well as for the swift restoration of constitutional democracy and the return to normalcy in these two countries. This position is expressed in the summary of discussion by Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, which was made public after his meeting on 8 June with the Heads of Delegations from the South Pacific Forum member countries who attended the funeral of former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. Those are the announcements that I wanted to make, and I would be delighted to answer any questions that you may have.

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5. Questions pertaining to the North-South Korea Summit Meeting and future relations between Japan, the Republic of Korea and North Korea

   Q: Concerning the situation in Korea, I read a report that the United States is still concerned about nuclear missile threats from North Korea. What is your comment on this?

   Mr. Harada: The United States has taken the position that the proliferation of ballistic missiles is their security concern, and I think that they maintain their position on that. We also have concern about the missile issue, and we have not changed that position.

   Q: Do you feel that this Summit will help alleviate this concern?

   Mr. Harada: This is the first step, which President Kim Dae Jung himself explained to the people of the Republic of Korea when he returned to Seoul yesterday. We hope that this dialogue between the Republic of Korea and North Korea continues and the tension in the Korean Peninsula will ease, as Foreign Minister Kono mentioned in his comment.

   Q: There is a statement by Prime Minister Mori that he will raise the issue of reunification at the G8 meeting, so how is he planning to do so?

   Mr. Harada: Concerning the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit, it is usual that the G8 leaders discuss regional issues. We are still consulting with the G8 countries as to what issues will be taken up, and we have not come to a decision yet. At the same time, in light of the important movements in the Korean Peninsula, including the North-South Summit Meeting, Japan, as the Chair of G8, would like to take the lead to send a message of expectation from the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit that the dialogue between the Republic of Korea and North Korea continues and develops and that tensions on the Korean Peninsula will ease.

   Q: Will the Republic of Korea envoy meet with Foreign Minister Kono?

   Mr. Harada: We are now considering who is going to meet the special envoy. We have not come to a decision yet but I assume that it will be at a high level, and it is possible that Foreign Minister Kono will meet him.

   Q: What does Japan want to hear about most?

   Mr. Harada: We would like to hear the overall content of the meetings, and the assessment of our Republic of Korea colleagues on the North-South Summit Meeting.

   Q: The United States is planning to send food aid to North Korea. What is Japan's policy on sending food aid?

   Mr. Harada: I understand that the United States announced a donation of 50,000 tons of surplus commodities through the World Food Programme for its emergency operations program in North Korea. We hope that this decision by the United States will contribute to easing the tension in the Korean Peninsula. As you know, Japan has already decided to provide 100,000 tons of food aid to North Korea. At this stage, we do not have any plan to provide additional food aid.

   Q: Has there been any contact from North Korea to Japan on the North-South Summit Meeting? Or is Japan trying to contact North Korea?

   Mr. Harada: We are expecting a detailed explanation from the Republic of Korea and I have not heard that we have received any information from North Korea on the North-South Summit Meeting.

   Q: Will you have any meetings with the Americans relating to the North-South Summit?

   Mr. Harada: We are now consulting with our colleagues of the Republic of Korea and the United States to hold a Trilateral Coordination Oversight Group, but we have not fixed a concrete date yet.

   Q: I understand that after North Korea launched its missile a few years ago, the Japanese Defense Agency started development of satellites for watching out for missiles. Will there be a change in this development along the lines of the results of the Summit?

   Mr. Harada: I do not think we have to change our decision on information gathering satellites.

   Q: I believe that Director-General Makita of the Asian Affairs Bureau is in Seoul. Is there any information about how Kim Jong Il responded to President Kim Dae Jung's message from Prime Minister Mori about how Japan wants to improve relations with North Korea, or President Kim Dae Jung's concern about missiles?

   Mr. Harada: We have received information that President Kim Dae Jung conveyed the message from Prime Minister Mori to Secretary-General Kim Jong Il of the Workers' Party of North Korea. We will receive a further detailed briefing from the special envoy next week, and at the same time, we have not finished our coordination with the Republic of Korea side on what should be made public in this regard. At this stage, I cannot make any further comment.

   Q: That means that you have already received an explanation from the South Korean side?

   Mr. Harada: Yes, but I do not necessarily mean that Director-General Kunihiko Makita of the Asian Affairs Bureau received the information.

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6. Japan's position on the Middle East peace process following the demise of President Hafez al-Assad of the Syrian Arab Republic

   Q: Do you have any updated information on the Japanese position in regard to the late Syrian President?

   Mr. Harada: I do not think that we have changed any policy on the Middle East because of the demise of President Hafez al-Assad of the Syrian Arab Republic. As you know, Foreign Minister Kono attended the funeral this week, and on that occasion, he had a very short meeting with the son of President Assad, Mr. Basshar al-Assad. Foreign Minister Kono, on behalf of the Government of Japan and the Japanese people, conveyed our condolences to Mr. al-Assad. Mr. al-Assad said that he appreciated the relationship with Japan, and he would like to continue to cherish the bilateral relationship. Foreign Minister Kono responded by saying that Japan is honored to provide assistance to Syria and hopes that Syria will develop. This was a very short meeting, because it was held on the occasion of the funeral.

   The Government of Japan dispatched Foreign Minister Kono to demonstrate its posture that Japan attaches importance to the Middle East, and will continue to actively engage in the Middle East peace process. Another factor is that we are the Chair of the G8 this year and the Middle East will be one of the major regional issues.

   Q: Did Mr. Kono have other meetings?

   Mr. Harada: Yes. He had meetings with other G8 Foreign Ministers from Canada, the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany. In addition, at the funeral he had a chance to have a short meeting with other attendees. Thank you very much.

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