MOFA MIDDLE EAST DIVISION OFFICIAL COMMENTS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 000119 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/J, S/SRAP, ISN/RA FOR BEDKE, HEIDELBERG, NEA/IR, ISN/RA, PM FOR AMBASSADOR MULL, RUGGIERO AND DELAWIE, PM/PPA FOR HOPKINS, GLANCY, FOSTER, AND O'KEEFE, PM/ISO FOR FREDERICK, EEB/TRA FOR JOHN BYERLY AND STEPHEN MILLER NSC FOR RUSSEL DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO USAID E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2020 TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL ELTN EWWT MOPS PBTS PHSA PTER PARM, KNNP, IR, MNUC, IAEA, AORC, EAID, PK, AFIN, JA SUBJECT: MOFA MIDDLE EAST DIVISION OFFICIAL COMMENTS ON AFGHANISTAN ASSISTANCE, IRAN, AND POSSIBILITY OF NEW MSDF REFUELING MISSION Classified By: CDA JAMES P. ZUMWALT BY REASONS 1.4(b) and (d) -------------- Afghanistan -------------- ¶1. (C) MOFA's Deputy Director General for the Middle East Takehiro Kagawa told Political Minister-Counselor January 19 that the campaign finance scandal involving Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa might delay somewhat Diet deliberation of the supplementary budget request for the GOJ's Afghanistan/Pakistan assistance package. Once passed, Japan intends to disburse most of the funds to multilateral aid agencies as the money has to be spent before the end of the Japanese fiscal year, which ends March 31. This timeframe rules out Japan developing its own bilateral programs to spend the money. The GOJ continues to monitor the security situation with great concern, and the UN decision to withdraw some of its aid workers from Afghanistan will complicate Japan's assistance efforts, Kagawa said. Japan's plans to help retrain former Taliban fighters will remain difficult as long as the potential beneficiaries of this effort are uncertain which side will prevail in the fighting, he said. -------------- New MSDF Refueling Mission? -------------- ¶2. (C) Kagawa said he thought rumors that have been circulating recently that the Maritime Self Defense Force's (MSDF) refueling vessels might be redirected from their recently suspended operations in the Indian Ocean in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to assisting counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden were unrealistic due to firm SDP opposition to overseas deployment of the SDF, even for peace keeping operations. -------------- Iran -------------- ¶3. (C) MOFA is planning for a February/March visit by Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Larijani. A visit by Foreign Minister Mottaki is still in the works, although no date has been set. Kagawa inquired about a possible visit to Tokyo by NSC Senior Iran Advisor Dennis Ross in February, noting that MOFA might need to de-conflict this visit from Larijani's. Kagawa defended his participation in a like-minded countries discussion in Washington last year, which he heard had been criticized by U.S. participants. Kagawa said he was simply conveying firmly held Japanese positions: 1) that Japan was not ready to give up diplomatic contact with Iran and 2) Japan remains cautious about any discussion of a possible cut off of oil imports from Iran. However, the U.S. should rest assured Japan is very strongly opposed to the spread of nuclear weapons and is committed to pressing Iran to agree to the current P-5 plus one proposal. If Iran does so, Japan is prepared to play a positive role, he said. Kagawa said MOFA has not felt undue pressure from the Japanese business community on Iran, adding that that would change if restrictions on oil imports were proposed as a possible sanctions item. Kagawa explained that, within MOFA, Iran relations now fall under State Secretary Fukuyama, unlike other Middle East issues, which are under State Secretary Takemasu. Fukuyama had lobbied FM Okada very hard for this arrangement, he said, probably in order to gain prominence for himself, since he is running to retain his seat in this summer's Upper House election. ZUMWALT