JAPAN LIKELY TO SUPPORT DARFUR RESOLUTION, WILL

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 004995 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2016 TAGS: PREL KPKO UNSC SU JA SUBJECT: JAPAN LIKELY TO SUPPORT DARFUR RESOLUTION, WILL NOT CO-SPONSOR REF: STATE 143304 Classified By: Political Section Deputy Carol Reynolds. Reason: 1.4 (b )(d). ¶1. (C) Embassy Tokyo Political Officer conveyed reftel demarche to MOFA UN Policy Division Principal Deputy Director Kitamura on August 31, stressing the need to act quickly and, hopefully, unanimously to address the deteriorating situation in Darfur through the proposed UNSC resolution. ¶2. (C) Subsequently, Mr. Fujita of the same division responded that Japan would "likely" support the resolution. All but one MOFA division had cleared on the UN Policy Division's proposal to support it, and he did not expect an objection from the remaining office. Japan would not, however, co-sponsor the resolution. First, he explained, Japan had not had adequate time to consider the budgetary implications of the resolution. Moreover, the Sudanese government had not yet consented to the proposed new arrangement. Ideally, he said, the resolution should be adopted after the Sudanese government had consented. Under the circumstances, Japan could not co-sponsor. ¶3. (C) Japan plans to issue a public statement that "appreciates" the resolution's adoption and views it as "an important step" in resolving the situation in Darfur, Fujita said. When we urged that Japan's statement also include the need to immediately implement the resolution. Fujita promised to try to include that element, as well. DONOVAN