Japan, Russia remain apart on isle row, but vow cooperation

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YOKOHAMA, Nov. 13 Kyodo -
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
remained apart Saturday over a longstanding territorial row, which took a new
twist recently with Medvedev's visit to one of the four disputed islands, but
nonetheless agreed to boost bilateral cooperation to foster an environment for
settling the issue.
The two leaders outlined their countries' differing basic stances on the
disputed territories, with Kan protesting to Medvedev over his trip on Nov. 1
and the Russian leader stating his own stance, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
Tetsuro Fukuyama said.
Kan said Tokyo ''cannot accept it with regard to Japan's position (on the isle
row) and Japanese public sentiment,'' Fukuyama said. However, he avoided
stressing Japan's position that the four Russian-held islands are an ''integral
part'' of Japan, Fukuyama told reporters.
Russia's Itar-Tass news agency quoted the nation's Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov as telling reporters after the talks that Medvedev told Kan that the
islands are Russian territory and that ''this will be so in the future.''
During their 40-minute meeting, Medvedev told Kan that the territorial row is a
''very sensitive issue'' for Russians, while the Japanese premier expressed his
wish to conclude a postwar peace treaty between Japan and Russia after
clarifying the sovereignty of the disputed islands, Fukuyama said.
But Medvedev urged Kan to change Japan's approach toward the issue of a peace
treaty and said it was ''better to give up emotional statements and diplomatic
gestures because they do not help the business but to the contrary,'' the
Itar-Tass cited Lavrov as saying.
As for specific areas of future bilateral cooperation, Medvedev said the two
countries can cooperate over North Korea's nuclear ambitions and issues
discussed at the U.N. Security Council for example, according to the Japanese
official.
Medvedev became the first leader from Russia or the former Soviet Union to set
foot on any of the four islands when he visited Kunashiri on Nov. 1, prompting
Japan to recall its ambassador to Moscow and trade barbs with Russia.
Moscow has indicated it sees no problem with the president's visiting Russian
territory.
The president asked Kan to visit Russia at an appropriate time next year, and
the premier accepted his invitation.
The talks, held on the fringe of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in
Yokohama, were their second one-on-one meeting, following one in June held on
the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit in Canada.
The parley was not set until a day before, apparently reflecting the fallout
from the president's visit.
Earlier in the day, Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara met for about two
hours with Lavrov and agreed that promoting bilateral cooperation would ''serve
the strategic interests'' of the two countries, according to a Japanese
official.
The two ministers agreed to explore a solution which will be acceptable to both
sides and recognized the importance of working on bilateral ties ''in quiet
circumstances,'' according to the official.
Lavrov also asked Maehara to visit Moscow and the Japanese minister said he
will do so at an appropriate time next year, the official said.
After the Russian leader stayed on Kunashiri for a few hours, ignoring Japan's
earlier warning that such an action could affect bilateral ties, Lavrov warned
that the president plans to also visit other disputed islands, but Fukuyama
said the president did not mention such plans in his talks with Kan.
The trip was perceived in Japan as a fresh blow to the country, which has also
been embroiled in a dispute with China over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku
Islands in the East China Sea. The islands are known in China as the Diaoyu.
The territorial spat over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri and Shikotan as
well as the Habomai islet group, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and
in Russia as the Southern Kurils, has prevented Japan and Russia from signing a
postwar peace treaty.
Maehara has irritated Russia as he has repeatedly said Moscow has ''illegally
occupied'' the islands seized by the Soviet Union following Japan's surrender
in World War II on Aug. 15, 1945.
Medvedev suggested the two countries prioritize bilateral economic cooperation,
the Russian minister said. ''The broader economic cooperation is, the more
solid the foundations of relations are,'' Lavrov added.
==Kyodo
2010-11-13 23:55:30