Japan won`t send SDF helicopters to Sudan for U.N. mission: gov`t

TOKYO, July 13 Kyodo -
The Japanese government said Tuesday it will not send Self-Defense Force
helicopter units to Sudan for a U.N. peacekeeping mission.
Japan had been expected to help transport ballot boxes under the auspices of
the United Nations next January when a referendum will be held on
self-determination for the people of Southern Sudan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku told a press conference that a
government study has found that it would be difficult for the units to reach
destination points by land and there would be an insufficient support system
for the helicopters to operate.
''We have learnt that the difficulties are immense,'' the government's top
spokesman said. But he added Japan will maintain its commitment to U.N.
peacekeeping missions as a key diplomatic priority.
The announcement followed the Defense Ministry's conclusion last month that
Japan should not send the units, citing in part the possible costs associated
with such a deployment.
While the idea of a helicopter dispatch has been discarded, Japan has two
Ground Self-Defense Force officers participating in the U.N. Mission in Sudan,
who have been managing the security information database at the mission's
headquarters.
==Kyodo