Japan, Russia to continue territorial talks in 'constructive' way+

TOKYO, Nov. 30 Kyodo -
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and a visiting senior Russian government
official agreed Monday that the two countries will continue their dialogue on
the sovereignty dispute over four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido in a quiet
and constructive manner, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
In their meeting in Tokyo, Sergei Naryshkin, chief of staff of the Russian
Presidential Executive Office, told Hatoyama that Moscow is ready to proceed
with the territorial dialogue in a quiet and constructive atmosphere and that
any excessive pressure by one on the other could hamper what could otherwise be
constructive negotiations, the ministry said.
Hatoyama responded that he agreed, but added the two countries also need to
acknowledge that they have different positions on the territorial issue,
according to the ministry.
''In order to solve this issue, leaders should meet many times to deepen
relations of trust,'' Hatoyama was quoted as telling Naryshkin in the half-hour
meeting in Tokyo.
Naryshkin also told Hatoyama that Moscow highly values the summit talks that
have taken place between Hatoyama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, saying
they helped give a political stimulus to the nation's development in various
fields.
Hatoyama said that if both he and Medvedev decide to go to Copenhagen for a key
U.N. climate change conference in December, he would like to meet there with
the Russian president.
Naryshkin replied that it has not been decided if Medvedev will go to
Copenhagen, but if he does he would be ready to meet with Hatoyama.
In a meeting earlier in the day, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi
Hirano told the Russian official that the territorial dispute is an issue that
the two countries cannot avoid addressing as the Hatoyama government builds
fresh relations with Russia.
Naryshkin told Hirano that Russia is ready to continue talks to look for a
solution that both sides will be able to accept, according to the Japanese
ministry.
The longstanding territorial issue involving four Russian-administered islands
-- Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group -- has prevented
the two countries from signing a post-World War II peace treaty.
==Kyodo
2009-11-30 23:40:55