Hatoyama, UNDP head pledge close cooperation in aiding Afghanistan+

TOKYO, Nov. 24 Kyodo -
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and visiting U.N. Development Program
Administrator Helen Clark on Tuesday confirmed that they will continue to work
closely together on assisting Afghan police forces and helping in the country's
elections.

In a meeting in Tokyo, Clark expressed hope that Japan will take the lead not
just on Afghan issues but also climate change and assisting African countries,
the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
Tokyo has promised up to $5 billion in nonmilitary aid to Afghanistan over the
next five years from this year, some of which will be spent through the UNDP.
After a separate meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, Clark
also expressed hope that Japan will increase its voluntary contributions to the
organization's regular budget, which the country makes without specifying how
they are to be used.
''Of course, we would like more core budget,'' Clark told reporters after her
talks with Okada, during which she stressed that contributions to the UNDP's
regular, or core, budget are important for the organization and Japan to
promote cooperation on a global scale.
Japan's contributions to the UNDP's core budget have been on a downward trend,
although its contributions to the UNDP's non-core resources, which are offered
for specific programs or projects, are increasing, according to the UNDP.
During her talks with Okada, Clark also noted that the UNDP is ready to
cooperate closely with Japan on its efforts to support the reconstruction of
Afghanistan and other issues, according to the ministry.
Clark is on a visit to Japan from Monday to Wednesday, the ministry said.
==Kyodo
2009-11-24 23:20:47