I. Tokyo Conference on Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka
Press Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima: Good afternoon and thank you very much for coming to this briefing. Today I have one announcement to make.
The announcement is about the Tokyo Conference on Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka. It was held in Tokyo on 9 and 10 June with the participation of ministers and representatives from 51 countries and 22 international organizations.
The participating donor countries and international organizations have demonstrated their willingness to extend assistance to a cumulative estimated amount, in excess of US$ 4.5 billion over the four-year period from 2003 to 2006. This figure includes Japan's pledge to extend assistance up to US$ 1 billion over the coming three years.
The Government of Japan was disappointed by the absence of representatives from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at this Conference. However, following the decision made by the Conference, the Government of Japan will convey the outcome of the Conference to the LTTE and at the same time will urge the LTTE to quickly come back to negotiations with the Sri Lankan Government, so that further assistance to northern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka would become possible.
II. Questions concerning Japan's assistance to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Q: I read that this amount of money is exactly equivalent to the amount that was pledged at the Reconstruction of Afghanistan conference. If that is the case, do you have any explanation for why the same amount was selected? Is it a symbolic indication of commitment by the international community or is it just accidentally the same amount for those countries?
Mr. Takashima: I do not have any specific answer to that because it is simply a matter of coincidence. If you look at the breakdown of the amount of money, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will contribute approximately US$ 1 billion, as will the Japanese Government. So there are slight differences between our Afghan pledge and the Sri Lankan pledge. That the figure is the same is, I presume, just a coincidence and there is no particular reason for them being identical.
Q: What is the importance of peace in Sri Lanka for Asia in particular and world peace in general?
Mr. Takashima: Sri Lanka is located in a very important part of the world, that is, facing the Indian Ocean, and it is a country that is multiracial in its ethnicity. If we are able to resolve this civil war in Sri Lanka by peaceful negotiations or through a diplomatic effort, this will set a very good precedent for the future of the so-called Consolidation of Peace effort in various parts of the world.
As far as Japan is concerned, it historically has a very close feeling toward Sri Lanka, and we hope that this racial and religious dispute in Sri Lanka will be resolved peacefully and diplomatically with assistance extended by the international community.
Q: Japan has shown a kind of leadership in hosting such international, large-scale conferences for the reconstruction of devastated countries, starting with Afghanistan and, today, Sri Lanka. There are many who are anticipating that this might be the case for a future conference regarding Iraq or even Palestine. Did anyone in the Conference discuss this possibility or does the Government of Japan have this in mind for the future?
Mr. Takashima: There is no plan for any new attempt to hold this kind of conference in the foreseeable future. However, Japan proposed that a kind of international conference be held in conjunction with the reconstruction of Iraq. This did not mean that Japan would host it. Rather, the Japanese Government put out the idea of having such a conference as food for thought for the international community. We are very pleased that the United Nations will host a preparatory conference on the reconstruction of Iraq later this month in New York.
Q: Was the amount of Japan's aid at US$ 1 billion announced because Japan was hosting the Conference or because you do actually have a special interest in peace in Sri Lanka?
Mr. Takashima: We made our utmost effort to be as cooperative and helpful as possible. That was the maximum amount we can offer for the reconstruction of Sri Lanka. It is also based upon the fact that Japan has been the top donor to that island nation for some years. Therefore, the Japanese Government thought that it would be appropriate for Japan to make a pledge of up to US$ 1 billion.
Q: My next question is not to underestimate Japan's assistance compared to the Palestinian cause or Iraq. However, I am not sure that you provided the same amount of assistance to the Palestinians or to the reconstruction of Iraq. Do you have a comment on that?
Mr. Takashima: I do not have the exact figure of what we have provided for the assistance to the Palestinians. However, at the outset of the Iraqi war, Japan provided US$ 22.25 million in food and other assistance to the Palestinians in addition to existing assistance. Furthermore, we have also provided US$ 100 million for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as economic assistance.
Q: If I am not wrong, I think that perhaps up to US$ 700 million has been given for the Palestinians over the last ten years or so.
Mr. Takashima: More than US$ 600 million during the last ten years.
Q: However, at this Conference, you decided on US$ 1 billion for only a three-year period even though I understand that peace in the Middle East is probably more sensitive or important to Japan's interests than Sri Lanka. Should there not be more?
Mr. Takashima: As I have said, Japan has been assisting the island nation of Sri Lanka for many years and we have very close relations. In addition, given the fact that Japan hosted this International Conference on Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka, we made a special effort to generate as much money as possible from a rather limited and tight budget.