Japan, EU leaders agree to cooperate over new flu countermeasures+

PRAGUE, May 4 Kyodo -
Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and European Union leaders agreed Monday to
cooperate closely to prevent further spread of the new flu epidemic worldwide
and to work together in tackling other issues such as the financial and
economic crisis, climate change and North Korea-related issues.
The agreement was underlined in a joint press statement issued on the occasion
of the one-day Japan-EU summit in the Prague. The European Union was
represented by Czech President Vaclav Klaus, whose country holds the European
Union's rotating presidency, and others.
The leaders ''expressed their determination to take all measures to stem the
further spread of the (new flu), underlining the importance of coordinating
respective efforts by the international community through the existing
mechanism for global collaboration and closely working with the World Health
Organization and other international bodies,'' the statement read.
They also reaffirmed their commitment for close cooperation in stabilizing the
financial markets and restoring the global economy, saying the two goals remain
their ''top priority.''
On climate change, another key concern worldwide, Aso and the EU leaders
''reaffirmed their determination to ensure that an ambitious, effective and
comprehensive global climate agreement be reached in Copenhagen in December,''
stressing that the current global economic slump should not hinder them from
achieving the goal.
About 190 nations are seeking to adopt a new climate treaty to succeed the 1997
Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012, at the Conference of the Parties to the
U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in the Danish capital at the end of
this year.
Touching on security issues, the Japanese and EU leaders also reconfirmed their
cooperation over North Korean issues such as Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic
missile programs, reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and anti-piracy
measures off Somalia.
They also called on the international community to maintain their assistance to
developing countries, especially those in Africa, despite the global financial
meltdown, and the two sides decided to hold an annual development policy
dialogue starting the latter half of this year.
Reiterating the importance of the 2001 Action Plan for EU-Japan Cooperation,
which is effective until 2011, the summit leaders showed their intention to
start exploring a replacement for the current action plan.
The summit was also attended by Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European
Commission, the European Union's executive body, and Javier Solana, the EU
foreign policy chief.
==Kyodo