Hatoyama vows to Tanzanian PM to follow thru on aid pledge to Africa+

TOKYO, March 26 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama vowed Friday to follow through on Japan's pledge
to double its official aid to Africa and other commitments during talks with
Tanzanian Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda.

Noting that Pinda has worked for the East African country's growth and poverty
reduction, mainly through the promotion of agriculture, the Japanese leader
said Tokyo will continue to support Tanzania in such efforts.
During the roughly 45-minute talks at the prime minister's office in Tokyo,
Hatoyama also said Japan will cooperate with Tanzania in making a follow-up
meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, to be
held in the African country in May, a success.
Pinda also offered to cooperate for the meeting, adding that he also hopes to
learn many things about the promotion of agriculture during his four-day stay
in Japan.
At the fourth session of the Japanese-sponsored African development conference
held in the Japanese port city of Yokohama in 2008, Japan pledged to double the
amount of its official development assistance to Africa by 2012 and promote
trade and investment in the continent.
Pinda, who is to leave Japan on Saturday, also held talks with Foreign Minister
Katsuya Okada earlier Friday.
==Kyodo
2010-03-27 01:41:57