Mike
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REFILING: 2ND LD: Rice terms Japan's BSE response excessive+
(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)SYDNEY, March
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Saturday accused Japan of reacting to the U.S. beef import issue in an excessive manner while she and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso agreed to make utmost efforts to finalize a contentious plan to realign U.S. forces in Japan by the end of this month.
Aso and Rice also agreed to continue joining hands in helping rebuild Iraq, Japanese officials said. Later Saturday, Aso and Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer also agreed to do so in separate talks.
During their hour-long meeting, Rice urged Japan to lift a ban on U.S. beef imports at an early date, saying Japan's re-imposition of the ban following the discovery of a backbone -- a mad cow disease risk material -- in a shipment of U.S. veal at a Japanese airport in January, is an excessive reaction, the officials said.
Aso defended the step, saying there are doubts on a U.S. Agriculture Department system of checking beef quality and that it is indispensable to erase such doubts, according to the officials.
The discovery of a backbone led Japan to re-impose its import ban on Jan. 20. The step was taken only a month after Japan lifted its two-year-old ban on the condition that imports would be limited to meat from cattle aged up to 20 months with brain, spinal cords and other specified risk materials removed before shipment.
Following his meeting with Rice, Aso said the two countries agreed to continue cooperating in reforming the United Nations including the U.N. Security Council.
Rice replied that she would give it serious thought, the officials said.
The bilateral talks -- referred to by both nations as a "strategic dialogue" -- came as Tokyo and Washington are working toward finalizing the plan to change U.S. military functions in Japan in line with a bilateral accord reached last October.
The Japanese government is having a hard time convincing local communities such as Okinawa Prefecture, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan, to accept the plan.
Many municipal leaders are reluctant to accept the realignment plan, claiming it would not help reduce the host city's "burden."
These leaders also accused the central government of mapping out the October agreement without sufficient domestic coordination.
On Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said the Japanese and U.S. governments will try to work out a final realignment plan without revising the October plan much.
Regarding Iraq, Aso told Downer during their bilateral talks that Japan cannot decide whether or not to withdraw its troops from the country at the moment in light of the current Iraqi situation, the officials said, referring to the delayed formation of the new Iraqi government, which is one of the barometers for the Japanese government to discuss the troop pullout.
(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)SYDNEY, March
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Saturday accused Japan of reacting to the U.S. beef import issue in an excessive manner while she and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso agreed to make utmost efforts to finalize a contentious plan to realign U.S. forces in Japan by the end of this month.
Aso and Rice also agreed to continue joining hands in helping rebuild Iraq, Japanese officials said. Later Saturday, Aso and Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer also agreed to do so in separate talks.
During their hour-long meeting, Rice urged Japan to lift a ban on U.S. beef imports at an early date, saying Japan's re-imposition of the ban following the discovery of a backbone -- a mad cow disease risk material -- in a shipment of U.S. veal at a Japanese airport in January, is an excessive reaction, the officials said.
Aso defended the step, saying there are doubts on a U.S. Agriculture Department system of checking beef quality and that it is indispensable to erase such doubts, according to the officials.
The discovery of a backbone led Japan to re-impose its import ban on Jan. 20. The step was taken only a month after Japan lifted its two-year-old ban on the condition that imports would be limited to meat from cattle aged up to 20 months with brain, spinal cords and other specified risk materials removed before shipment.
Following his meeting with Rice, Aso said the two countries agreed to continue cooperating in reforming the United Nations including the U.N. Security Council.
Rice replied that she would give it serious thought, the officials said.
The bilateral talks -- referred to by both nations as a "strategic dialogue" -- came as Tokyo and Washington are working toward finalizing the plan to change U.S. military functions in Japan in line with a bilateral accord reached last October.
The Japanese government is having a hard time convincing local communities such as Okinawa Prefecture, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan, to accept the plan.
Many municipal leaders are reluctant to accept the realignment plan, claiming it would not help reduce the host city's "burden."
These leaders also accused the central government of mapping out the October agreement without sufficient domestic coordination.
On Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said the Japanese and U.S. governments will try to work out a final realignment plan without revising the October plan much.
Regarding Iraq, Aso told Downer during their bilateral talks that Japan cannot decide whether or not to withdraw its troops from the country at the moment in light of the current Iraqi situation, the officials said, referring to the delayed formation of the new Iraqi government, which is one of the barometers for the Japanese government to discuss the troop pullout.
