Knight Ridder Newspapers

TOKYO – Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told a forum in Tokyo on Tuesday that even if Australian troops were killed defending Ground Self-Defense Force troops in Iraq, it would not have a negative effect on relations between the two countries.

During his one-day visit to Tokyo, Downer met with Prime Minster Junichiro Koizumi, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, Defense Agency Director General Yoshinori Ono, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshinobu Shimamura. He also met with the leader of the main opposition party Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan).

In a wide-ranging speech to the Japan Institute for International Affairs following his meeting with Koizumi, Downer said the deployment of an additional 450 Australian troops to maintain security in Iraq’s Muthanna Province and protect Japanese troops there underlined Australia’s commitment to its cooperative relationship with Japan.

“We know that the initial decision to deploy defense forces to Iraq was a complex one for Japan, but it was the right decision to make and we’re very pleased to be working with Japan, and with other coalition partners, to help Iraq build a better future,” he said.

Asked if Australian casualties while guarding Japanese forces would affect the relationship, Downer said, “We’ll live with the consequences as Australians of our own decisions and not pass the blame to Japan if that happened.”

At a breakfast earlier in the day hosted by the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan, Downer played down any link between Australia’s commitment of troops and its trade objectives.

“It would be entirely undiplomatic and wrong to say we would automatically link our security policy with our trade policy. We don’t put people’s lives on the line in order to get access to markets,” he said. “If you have a closer political relationship, it’s often easier to deal with difficult commercial issues.”

Praising Japan’s deployment of peacekeepers to Cambodia and East Timor, Downer told the meeting, “This work we’re doing together on Iraq follows the emergence of greater Japanese participation in dealing with security issues in the region.”

In his speech to the Japanese Institute for International Affairs, Downer reiterated Australia’s support for Japan’s bid to obtain a seat on the U.N. Security Council.

“Australia strongly supports Japan’s claims for permanent membership on the United Nations Security Council and would want to see Japan take seat on any expanded council,” he said.

Downer played up the importance of ties with the United States for maintaining regional security.

“If we want security in this part of the world, countries like Japan and Australia need to be close to the United States, we need to have those alliance relationships with the United States.

He also told the forum Japan should be heartened by recent developments in China.

“I think you can take comfort from the fact that China is being quite robust in trying to keep the six-party talks process going. China understands the particular role it has in supporting the denuclearization of North Korea. China has been positive and responsive on that issue,” he said.

Downer said his meeting with Koizumi was successful, particularly on the trade front, where Australia is seeking a free trade agreement with Japan.

“I was pleasantly surprised and pleased by the response of the prime minister to my suggestion that we could perhaps begin work on some sort of a feasibility study on a free trade agreement. He was very positive about that,” Downer said.

He said he hoped Australia and Japan could move toward such an agreement, and downplayed domestic political hurdles for Japan such as concern over rice imports.

“Australia isn’t going to suddenly produce billions of tons of rice and dump it into the Japanese market. “

It was reported that Koizumi stopped short of clearly agreeing to the proposal for a feasibility study with the fourth-largest exporter to Japan.

Koizumi reportedly also told Downer that Japan would support Australia’s bid to participate in a proposed East Asia summit meeting slated for later this year in Malaysia. Australian Prime Minister John Howard is scheduled to visit Japan next month.

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(c) 2005, The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Visit the Daily Yomiuri Online at http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/index-e.htm/

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

AP-NY-03-22-05 1249EST

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