Statement by the Chairman of the G7/P8 on the Incident at the Official Residence of the Japanese Ambassador to the Republic of Peru

28 December 1996

At 6:25 p.m. local time in Paris on December 27 (2:25 a.m. on December 28, JST), the government of France, acting in the capacity of G7/P8 chairman, issued the following statement concerning the incident at the Official Residence of the Japanese Ambassador in Lima, Peru (unofficial translation):

1. The countries of the G7/P8 condemn in the strongest fashion the action perpetrated by the terrorists at the residence of the Japanese Ambassador in Lima. No political or ideological objective can justify recourse to such methods.
2. They reaffirm the general principle that no concessions should be granted in the face of a terrorist action.
3. They demand the immediate release of all the hostages without exception.
4. They express their solidarity with the Peruvian government and support its efforts to resolve the crisis by peaceful means, with the saving of human lives as the prime objective. They are ready, individually and collectively, to assist the Peruvian government in undertaking all appropriate measures as may be requested.

(The major contents of this statement are based on a proposal by the Japanese government under the direction of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. The statement, the issue of which was originally suggested by Russian President Boris Yeltsin, was finalized after consultation among the G7/P8 member countries.)