MEDIA REACTION Q US-INDIA NUCLEAR ACCORD - TOKYO

UNCLAS TOKYO 003563 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 Q US-INDIA NUCLEAR ACCORD - TOKYO LEAD STORIES: Wednesday morning's moderate Tokyo Shimbun front-paged a report from Cairo that Palestinian President Abbas and Prime Minister Haniyeh appear to have reached an agreement about recognizing the existence of Israel. ¶1. "Premier Should Not Support US-India Nuclear Accord" The liberal Asahi editorialized (6/28): "...During their June 29 talks at the White House, President Bush and PM Koizumi are expected to play up the US-Japan 'honeymoon' of the past five years. They are also likely to discuss troublesome matters, such as the US-India nuclear accord concluded in March. India went ahead with a nuclear test in 1998 in open defiance of international efforts to halt nuclear proliferation. India has long criticized the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as being unequal and has refused to join it. Nevertheless, the Bush administration reached an accord with India on providing it with nuclear fuel and technology for its civilian program. The US is seeking approval of the pact from European nations and Japan, raising the possibility that Bush will make a direct request of Koizumi during their talks. ¶2. "This is clearly a double standard. The NPT recognizes the US, Russia, Britain, France, and China as nuclear weapons states. It guarantees other nations the use of nuclear energy and international cooperation in exchange for their non-possession of nuclear weapons. Making an exception for India would introduce further contradictions into the nonproliferation framework.... What if Pakistan seeks a similar exception? Approving this double standard is out of the question at a time when the international community is trying desperately to persuade Iran, which is a signatory to the NPT and has indicated that it will accept IAEA inspections, to suspend uranium enrichment. There is no question that the US-India nuclear deal will also have a negative impact on the six-party talks at which North Korea is being pressed to give up its nuclear program.... Japan, as the only country to have been attacked using nuclear weapons, cannot go along with an accord that would open a hole in the already creaking NPT framework." DONOVAN