Hiroshima, Nagasaki mayors welcome Obama willingness to visit cities

HIROSHIMA, Nov. 10 Kyodo -
The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki said Tuesday they ''welcome from the
heart'' U.S. President Barack Obama's willingness to visit the two Japanese
cities the United States dropped atomic bombs on during World War II.

''We'd like to welcome (him) from the heart. We hope (the visit) will be
realized as early as possible,'' Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki
Mayor Tomihisa Taue said in a statement jointly issued by them.
''We are confident that the historic visit would be a big step toward creating
a better future and the spirit of peace displayed by hibakusha (atomic bomb
survivors) would light the road,'' the two mayors said.
In an interview with Japanese public broadcaster NHK in Washington on Monday,
Obama expressed willingness to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki while he is in
office, although he is unable to do so when he visits Japan later this week.
The two mayors visited the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on Oct. 27 and submitted a
letter requesting the U.S. leader to visit their cities.
==Kyodo
2009-11-11 00:42:57