MEDIA REACTION BUSH VISIT TO INDIA AND

UNCLAS TOKYO 001043

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR I/RF, PA/PR/FPC/W, IIP/G/EA, EAP/PD, R/MR,
EAP/J, EAP/P, PM;
USTR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE;
TREASURY FOR OASIA/IMI;
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA;
CP BUTLER OKINAWA FOR AREA FIELD OFFICE;
PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO JA
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION BUSH VISIT TO INDIA AND
PAKISTAN/IRAN - TOKYO

LEAD STORIES: Most Tuesday morning papers front-paged the
Taiwanese government's decision Monday to scrap a
unification policymaking body and related guidelines on
unification with mainland China.


1. "Hopes and Concerns over President Bush's Visits to
India and Pakistan" An editorial in the business daily
Nihon Keizai commented (2/28): "President Bush will visit
India and Pakistan starting Wednesday. With this first
visit to the two South Asian countries by President Bush,
America's diplomacy toward the subcontinent will enter a
new phase, as Washington is keeping an eye on a growing
China.... The focal point of his visit to India will be
whether Washington will cooperate with New Delhi on the
peaceful use of nuclear energy. The two countries, which
agreed in principle last summer to cooperate in this
area, are trying to work out the details and sign an
agreement. Given that India is a nuclear power but not a
signatory to the NPT, however, we cannot help but express
skepticism about this development.


2. "At a time when the international community is trying
frantically to prevent the proliferation of nuclear arms
in North Korea and Iran, we wonder whether US-India
nuclear cooperation, even if limited to peaceful use,
might not further hasten the demise of the NPT regime....
During his visit to Pakistan, President Bush is expected
to ask President Musharraf to further strengthen his
country's antiterrorism measures.... Osama bin Laden is
believed to be hiding in Pakistan near the country's
border with Afghanistan.... There has been strong
opposition in Pakistan to President Musharraf's
cooperation with the US. Although the US president's
visit comes at a delicate time following violent protests
against caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, we hope the
two leaders will agree to intensify mop-up operations
against al-Qaeda."


3. "Iranian Nuclear Issue: Tehran Must Dispel Doubts" The
conservative Sankei editorialized (2/28): "With the
international community concerned about Iran's nuclear
development, Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki visited
Japan on Monday and talked with Foreign Minister Aso. Aso
reportedly told Mottaki that it is imperative for Tehran
to dispel all doubts about its nuclear programs and win
international trust in order to have the right to the
peaceful use of nuclear energy. We think this is the only
way to resolve the nuclear dispute....


4. "Iran says it only wants to use nuclear energy for
peaceful purposes, just like Japan. It took about 30
years of efforts and cooperation on Tokyo's part in
demonstrating the peaceful nature of the nation's nuclear
program before the IAEA made a decisision in September
2004 to allow it to enrich and reprocess uranium, to
recognize Japan as a non-nuclear-weapons state, and to
simplify inspections of Japanese nuclear facilities.
Foreign Minister Mottaki, who served as ambassador to
Japan for four and half years until the end of 1999, must
be knowledgeable about Japan's transparent nuclear
policy. We hope he will persuade the Iranian people to
accept the fact that Iran needs to clarify its nuclear
policy.... Tehran has no choice but to adopt a
transparent, peaceful nuclear policy."

SCHIEFFER