Japan, Australia to cooperate on nuke disarmament, clash on whaling+

PERTH, Australia, Feb. 21 Kyodo -
Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and his Australian counterpart Stephen
Smith agreed on Sunday to work together toward nuclear disarmament and deepen
their security ties, but remained apart on a dispute over Japan's whaling
activities in the Antarctic Ocean.
During a joint press conference following their talks in Perth, western
Australia, Smith referred to the possibility of resorting to international
legal action to stop such whaling, while Okada expressed his regret at Smith's
remarks and called for a diplomatic solution.
A joint statement on nuclear disarmament was announced following their talks,
in which the two ministers agreed to cooperate toward the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in May.
As a ''first step'' toward a world without nuclear weapons, the ministers also
''found worthy of consideration'' such ideas as banning the use of nuclear
weapons against non-nuclear weapon states, or retaining nuclear weapons solely
for the purpose of deterring others from using such weapons.
The ministers also ''decided to deepen discussion'' on these issues, according
to the statement, which highlighted the two countries' stance of supporting
U.S. President Barack Obama's call for a nuclear-free world.
Japan and Australia, which rely on the U.S. nuclear deterrent and have often
worked in tandem on nuclear policy, have initiated the creation of an
international panel on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament.
Referring to the panel's report released in December last year, which presented
a comprehensive action agenda for nuclear abolition, Okada and Smith decided to
hold regular meetings between them on the possibility of reflecting the report
in present and future policies.
The two ministers also condemned in the ''strongest terms'' North Korea's
nuclear test last year and called for the country to return to the six-party
denuclearization talks, the statement said. They also reaffirmed that Iran
should take ''all possible steps'' to enhance the transparency of its nuclear
activities.
Upon his arrival in Sydney on Saturday, Okada held separate meetings with
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Defense Minister John Faulkner, during
which they agreed to promote cooperation over U.N. peacekeeping operations and
in dealing with disaster relief and other areas. Okada then moved to Perth for
talks with Smith.
During the series of meetings, the whaling issue remained a thorny subject.
Okada said that he agreed with Smith on the importance of making efforts to
ensure that the whaling issue does not affect the positive nature of overall
Japan-Australia ties and that they both ''strongly criticize'' the violent
protests against Japanese whalers by a U.S.-based antiwhaling group, the Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society.
But at the same time, Smith told the press conference that Australia would ''go
to the International Court of Justice'' to stop Japan from continuing its
so-called ''research'' whaling if the issue is not resolved at the
International Whaling Commission.
Okada said he found the remarks ''regrettable.''
''I think this issue should be thoroughly discussed at the IWC or between the
two countries. But if the issue is actually brought to court, Japan will
continue to explain its research whaling, which is acknowledged by the IWC,''
he said.
Smith, meanwhile, said that the Australian government has thought ''very
carefully'' about the issue and that it would like to propose to the IWC the
idea of phasing out whaling in the Southern Ocean over ''a reasonable period of
time.''
''That is a position we would formally put forward to the IWC, in the very near
future, potentially as early as tomorrow,'' Smith said.
Australia offers port facilities to the Sea Shepherd. There have been repeated
clashes between the Japanese whaling fleet and the group, and an activist from
New Zealand recently boarded a Japanese security vessel belonging to the fleet
to lodge a protest.
Japan halted commercial whaling in 1986 in line with an international
moratorium, but has been hunting whales since 1987 for what it calls scientific
research purposes. Environmentalists condemn the activity as a cover for
commercial whaling.
Okada later told reporters that Australia's possible legal action would ''not
mean that bilateral ties are in great trouble'' and added that a legal
settlement may be a ''rational solution in a certain sense.''
To enhance security cooperation, Okada and Smith agreed to start negotiations
in early March for a bilateral agreement on mutual logistics support that would
enable Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the Australian military to share food,
fuel and other supplies and services in their operations.
The two also agreed that U.S. involvement is important for peace and stability
in the Asia-Pacific region and to strengthen trilateral cooperation, Okada
said.
==Kyodo