Press Conference
by Ms Yoriko KAWAGUCHI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan

April 9, 2003

Japanese

Minister KAWAGUCHI : The Government of Japan will contribute up to US$ 100 million worth of humanitarian assistance in order to support humanitarian assistance efforts made by international organizations and other institutions in Iraq and neighboring countries. This decision is in response to the flash appeal for humanitarian requirements of the Iraq crisis launched by the UN on March 28 and the appeals issued by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Of the US$ 100 million, in order to address food shortages, the Government of Japan will initially implement assistance worth approximately US$ 11.5 million to the World Food Program (WFP) to provide 7,000 tons of pulse and 10,000 tons of rice for which there is great demand in the affected area.

Furthermore, the Government of Japan will implement assistance worth US$ 8 million to ICRC and US$ 5 million to UNICEF, respectively, which are currently carrying out urgent humanitarian relief activities including medical assistance, provision of food and life supplies, and restoration of water supply facilities in Baghdad and Basra, where affected people are suffering under severe conditions.

Through these assistance measures, in addition to the assistance of US$ 5.03 million announced earlier, the Japanese Government will have spent approximately US$ 30 million in humanitarian assistance related to the situation in Iraq.

For the remaining amount out of the US$ 100 million, the Government of Japan will consider other assistance measures as necessary, by assessing the developments related to the oil-for-food program, the situation of humanitarian damage including refugees and displaced persons, the actual requirement for assistance and other factors.

Q&A

Q: How soon do you think the Iraqi regime would be defeated completely?

Minister Kawaguchi: We do not have a specific view as to the specific timing. We are aware that this is the beginning of an end, but how it will end remains to be seen. We will continue to closely monitor the situation.

Q: How do you envisage the interim government after the fall of the Hussein regime?

Minister Kawaguchi: How the interim regime will be formed is completely undecided. As to the ORHA, we are constantly in touch with the office in Kuwait, but as to our specific involvement nothing has been decided.

Q: It has been said that Japan might cover about 20% of the total amount of the UN appeal. The amount offered this time by Japan seems much smaller. What brought you to that decision ?

Minister Kawaguchi: We thought about various things. One thing is how much will be covered by the oil-for-food program among US$ 2.4 billion. There are also commitments so far made by various countries which amounts to US$ 1.4 billion including US$ 100 million offered by Japan. I do not know what will be the amount coming from the oil-for-food program, but maybe it will be US$ 1 billion. We took into account a number of factors including what may happen in the future and reached this decision. Anyway US$ 1 billion is the maximum amount. I have explained how US$ 30 million will be used. The use of the remaining US$ 70 million should be decided in view of the developments of the situation.

Q: With regard to the ORHA, will Japan dispatch any personnel if required ?

Minister Kawaguchi: The ORHA is an organization of the US Defense Department which is situated in Kuwait right now and is supposed to be transferred to Iraq. Some think that the ORHA should remain as an US organization and others think it should be an international body. The international collaboration is certainly necessary but the situation is fluid. So we don't have enough materials on which to decide whether we should send someone or not.

Q: What is your assessment of the summit meeting between the US and the UK? And what do you wish to achieve through your visit to Europe from today?

Minister Kawaguchi: The joint statement indicates a very good start for future discussion. At this stage the thinking of concerned countries as well as the military situation on the ground in Iraq is constantly changing and it is premature to say what exactly I wish to achieve through the visit. However I wish to stress during my visit the importance of the involvement of the UN in the process and the concerted effort of the international community, which is one of my five principles on humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Iraq. I also want to get in touch with the most recent thinking, and based on that assessment, will reconsider how we should approach the issue. Why is the concerted effort of the international community important? If I may reiterate, the international community's view was not in unison over the military action against Iraq, so in the reconstruction process it is important that all countries come together. Also in substantial terms, a few countries can achieve only so much not least from the viewpoint of available resources. In terms of the capacity of the international community to cope with future developments it is also desirable that countries come together through the process of Iraq's reconstruction.