Press Conference 18 May 2004

1. Visit to Japan by Director General of Governorate of Al-Muthannah Health Department and Directors of four hospitals in Samawa and neighboring areas
2. Statements by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi on the car bomb terrorist attack in Baghdad, death of President Ezzidin Salim of the Iraqi Governing Council and the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip
3. Follow-up question concerning upcoming visit to Japan by five medical doctors from Iraq
4. Question concerning current situation in Iraq
5. Question concerning Al-Sadr movement
6. Question concerning Israeli-Palestinian situation

1. Visit to Japan by Director General of Governorate of Al-Muthannah Health Department and Directors of four hospitals in Samawa and neighboring areas

   Assistant Press Secretary Jiro Okuyama: Good afternoon. Thank you very much for coming to the briefing. I have one announcement to make.

   A group of five medical doctors from Iraq will visit Japan at the invitation of the Japanese Government from 20 to 28 May. They are Dr. Baqir Alewi Rakhum Al-Tougy, Director General of the Health Department of the Governorate of Al-Muthannah, Dr. Resoul Aziz Sahib Maala, Director of Samawa General Hospital, and the Directors of hospitals in the suburbs including Samawa (Maternity and Children's Hospital, Al-Rumaitha General Hospital and Al-Khidhir General Hospital). We give you this in paper.

   During their stay in Japan, the group will meet those concerned in the Government. That is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Defense Agency and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Chairmen of the Special Committees for Iraq of both Houses of the Diet to exchange views on the present health and medical situation in Samawa and the official development assistance (ODA) projects and humanitarian and reconstruction assistance by the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) that Japan has been promoting as "two wheels of a cart." They will also visit medical organizations in Tokyo to deepen their understanding of the medical situation in Japan and exchange views with those concerned.

   Their visit to Japan is being carried out as part of the training programs of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

   Related Information (Visit to Japan by Director General of Governorate of Al-Muthannah Health Department and Directors of Four Hospitals in Samawa and Neighboring Areas)
   
2. Statements by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi on the car bomb terrorist attack in Baghdad, death of President Ezzidin Salim of the Iraqi Governing Council and the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip

   Mr. Okuyama: I would in addition like to draw your attention to the three statements that Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi made yesterday.

   One on the car bomb terrorist attack in Baghdad and the death of President Ezzidin Salim of the Iraqi Governing Council, and one on the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip, and also one on reconvening of the National Convention of the Union of Myanmar.

   Related Information (Statement by Ms. Yoriko Kawaguchi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the Car Bomb Terrorist Attack in Baghdad (Death of Mr. Ezzidin Salim, the President of the Iraqi Governing Council))
   Related Information (Statement by Ms. Yoriko Kawaguchi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the Deteriorating Situation in the Gaza Strip)
   
3. Follow-up question concerning upcoming visit to Japan by five medical doctors from Iraq

   Q: Shall we expect any announcements of cooperation or assistance during the visit of the medical team?

   Mr. Okuyama: On this occasion no, because we have already provided assistance to the four hospitals that I mentioned. Some decisions have already been made and some have already been implemented.

   There are four pillars: one, medical assistance activities by the Ground Self-Defense Forces (GSDF) to the four hospitals that I mentioned. Two, we have decided to provide grant assistance of up to US$778,083.00 in order to provide emergency medical goods to Samawa General Hospital. Three, we have decided to provide to Samawa General Hospital rehabilitation equipment as part of the grant assistance aimed at the improvement of major hospitals in the southern part of Iraq. Four, we provided medical equipment to Samawa Maternity and Children's Hospital. That is assistance through the non-profit organization (NPO) called Japan-Iraq Medical Association, the total amount of which is 35.6 million yen.

   I would like to add that Samawa General Hospital is one of the 13 hospitals that Japan extended cooperation in the past.

   So these are the specific contents of cooperation and assistance that we either have decided or have already implemented.

   Related Information (Visit to Japan by Director General of Governorate of Al-Muthannah Health Department and Directors of Four Hospitals in Samawa and Neighboring Areas)
   
4. Question concerning current situation in Iraq

   Q: How do you evaluate the situation in Iraq now in terms of security?

   Mr. Okuyama: There are some difficulties as we move towards the upcoming transfer of governing authority from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to the Iraqi people. We hope that we will have a new United Nations Security Council resolution being adopted by the Security Council as early as possible on the provision of authority to the Iraqi interim government and hope that the situation will improve towards and also after the transfer of power to the Iraqi people.

   Related Information (The Issue of Iraq)
   
5. Question concerning Al-Sadr movement

   Q: There are some debates going on regarding whether the area surrounding Samawa is a combat zone or not. There was a report about the Japanese Cabinet Legislation Bureau considering that area as a possible combat zone because Al-Sadr's group might be anti-government. So what is the Japanese official view of the Sadr movement in the south?

   Mr. Okuyama: Are you referring to the Cabinet Legislation Bureau's reported interpretation regarding Sadr supporters, the supporters of Muqtada Sadr as the quasi-state entity?

   There were press reports on this. There is no such fact that the Cabinet Legislation Bureau may have had interpreted Samawa as no longer a non-combat zone. On the basis of this factual statement, we believe that it is natural for the SDF to operate in areas which are non-combat zones as we believe the situation in the area is. We would expect the SDF to carry out their activities in accordance with the legislation.

   We will continue to monitor the situation very carefully and continue to collect information and analyze the information that we obtained in the area to have accurate grasp of what is happening on the ground.

   Related Information (The Issue of Iraq)
   
6. Question concerning Israeli-Palestinian situation

   Q: There are many reports talking about the Israeli policy of demolishing houses, cutting trees and destroying infrastructure of Palestinians. What is Japan's policy specifically on these categories?

   Mr. Okuyama: As Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi stated yesterday, we urge the Israeli side to stop this demolition immediately. At the same time, we strongly call on the Palestinian side to make efforts in the crackdown of the extremists' activities such as smuggling weapons, and to demonstrate tangible results.

   Related Information (Japan's Measures Toward the Middle East Peace Process)