UNSC reforms important for India, Japan: Aso

Tokyo, Oct 21 (PTI) Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso says reform of the U.N. Security Council was "tremendously important" for both India and his country and expects China to back Tokyo's campaign for a permanent seat under the G-4 initiative.

"The U.N. Security Council reform is a tremendously
important issue for Japan and India. Japan, together with
other G-4 members, i.e. India, Germany and Brazil, has been
working for the realisation of U.N.S.C. reform," Aso said.

"Although the G-4 resolution tabled in the U.N.
General Assembly in 2005 was not adopted, the momentum towards
U.N. Security Council reform became as high as ever," Aso told
PTI in an e-mail interview ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh's three-day visit to Japan.

Due to close cooperation among G-4 countries, he noted
that the U.N. General Assembly, at the end of its last
session, decided to start inter-governmental negotiations by
the end of February 2009.

"Japan will actively fulfill its responsibility as a
non-permanent member of the U.N.S.C. from January 2009 and,
towards the early realisation of the U.N.S.C. reform, continue
to cooperate with G-4 members and other countries in order to
draft a resolution which can be supported by as many countries
as possible," Aso, who was earlier foreign minister, said.

The new Japanese prime minister also appeared
confident that China, one of the five permanent members of the
U.N.S.C., would not block Tokyo's quest for the same.

Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the U.N.
Security Council has met with strong opposition from countries
like China, North Korea, and South Korea, apparently due to
"historical issues" linked to Japanese occupation of those
countries.

Chinese analysts say Beijing cannot trust Japan as
they are suspicious of Tokyo's real intentions and its
military alliance with the U.S.

"China and Japan also share the view that the Security
Council needs to be reformed.

"At the Japan-China summit meeting in May 2008, in
response to our request for support to Japan's permanent
membership of the U.N. Security Council, (Chinese) President
Hu Jintao said that China attached importance to Japan's
position and role in the United Nations and desired Japan to
play an even greater constructive role in the international
community," he said.

Aso said that Japan will keep strengthening the
bilateral dialogues with China on this issue at diverse
levels.

About his campaign for the establishment of an "arc of
freedom and prosperity" in the region, Aso said that Japan has
been cooperating with countries of South East Asia, Central
Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe, which are developing
democracy and market economy, through dialogues as well as
Official Development Assistance (O.D.A.).

"As I have said at the U.N. General Assembly in
September, peace and happiness are most certainly within our
grasp through the pursuit of economic prosperity and
democracy, and I am determined to cooperate with other
countries based on this philosophy. I will continue this
cooperation...," he said.

The concept of "Arc of freedom and prosperity"
envisages the attainment of peace and prosperity for the
world, and is not an initiative to exclude certain countries,
he said, allaying apprehensions about China.

"China is an important neighbour of Japan, and the two
countries are making sincere efforts to establish a 'mutually
beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests,"
Aso added. PTI