JAPAN LIKELY TO SEND EMBASSY REPRESENTATIVE TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 000225 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2027 TAGS: PREL EAID PGOV EFIN HA JA SUBJECT: JAPAN LIKELY TO SEND EMBASSY REPRESENTATIVE TO HAITI MEETING REF: STATE 5979 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor W. Michael Meserve. Reason : 1.4 (b)(d). 1 (SBU) Japan will likely send a representative from its embassy in Washington to the February 1 "Key Players on Haiti" meeting, MOFA Deputy Director for Caribbean Affairs Tomoko Dodo told Embassy Tokyo Political Officer on January ¶18. Responding to the invitation provided reftel, Ms. Dodo explained that Japan remains fully committed to assisting the government and people of Haiti. Time and resource constraints, however, make it "very difficult" to send Director General for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Miwa or another senior representative from Tokyo. She said MOFA would request Japan's embassy in Washington to send a high-level representative to the meeting. ¶2. (C) On the issue of MINUSTAH renewal, Ms. Dodo noted that Japan fully supports the U.S. position. Haiti had been "unwise" in its actions of September 2006 that alienated China. Despite China's threat to veto MINUSTAH renewal, Haiti remained "too proud" to apologize directly. China, however, was unlikely soften its position without some "give" from Haiti, she opined. Japan, she said, will likely urge Haiti to make some sort of gesture that Beijing can interpret as an apology. SCHIEFFER