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Prime Minister Koizumi Received Courtesy Call from the Representative Group of the Baghdad City Advisory Council

December 17, 2003

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi received a courtesy call from the representative group (Chair: Vice Chairman of the Council Ali Radhi Al-Haydary) of the Baghdad City Advisory Council on December 17 at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The following is an outline of the meeting.

  1. Welcoming the representative group of the Baghdad City Advisory Council and praising their active work for the reconstruction and development of Iraq at regional levels, Prime Minister Koizumi stated his wish for them to refer to the past experiences of Japan recovering from the destruction of war in envisaging the future of Baghdad and Iraq as a whole. In addition, despite the unbearably regrettable loss of Ambassador Katsuhiko Oku and First Secretary Masamori Inoue, Prime Minister Koizumi expressed his determination that Japan would keep their will and cooperate and work with the people of Iraq for the reconstruction and development of Iraq.

    In response, on behalf of the representative group, Vice Chairman Ali Radhi Al-Haydary expressed his gratitude for the invitation they received and extended his condolences for Ambassador Oku and First Secretary Inoue whom he was deeply acquainted with. He stated that he would also like to keep their will toward the reconstruction and development of Iraq.

  2. Prime Minister Koizumi stated that he would like the representative group to convey to the people of Iraq the will of Ambassador Oku and First Secretary Inoue as well as Japan's wish to regain its cooperation with Iraq. In response, Vice Chairman Ali Radhi Al-Haydary promised to convey the message and stated that many Iraqi people remember the past cooperative relations with Japan and have a lot of trust in Japan and its people. He also stated that the people of Iraq accordingly have high expectations for the active role Japan is playing in the reconstruction and development of Iraq.

  3. Prime Minister Koizumi stated that the efforts by the people of Iraq is essential for the reconstruction and development of Iraq and, to support the self-help efforts by the Iraqi people, Japan would like to provide assistance requested by Iraq.

    In response, expressing his understanding that the SDF members are dispatched for the purpose of providing humanitarian assistance and not to go to war, Vice Chairman Ali Radhi Al-Haydary stated that the people of Iraq welcome the assistance provided by Japan, as well as the dispatch of the Self Defense Forces (SDF) members.

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