Japan hopes to help defuse Iran standoff

[cal04]

Japan can play a key role in resolving the crisis over Iran's nuclear programme since it maintains friendly ties with Tehran, the top government spokesman said on Tuesday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe urged Iran to respond to international concerns about its nuclear ambitions after diplomats said on Monday that Tehran has resumed enriching uranium, which can be used as fuel for nuclear reactors or to make bombs.

Abe announced that Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki will visit Japan from February 27 to March 1, adding that Japanese officials would bring up the nuclear issue in their talks. "We have maintained friendly ties with Iran. So in that sense, Japan is the only one that can relay the concerns held by the West," Abe told a news conference.

"We don't want Iran to be isolated from the international community." While many Western nations have been increasing pressure on Iran in recent years to answer suspicions over its nuclear programme, Japan has kept up good ties with Tehran, mainly because of its reliance on Iranian oil.

Japan currently buys some 550,000 barrels a day from Iran, and despite objections from Washington, Japan's INPEX Corp. is planning to develop part of the giant Azadegan oil field in southern Iran.

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=6466232&cKey=1139889914000

[bemildred]

1. I'll bet they do.

It's a sure lose-lose for Japan, and they were just getting a bit of traction finally.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. The only guaranteed way to diffuse the Iran situation is for a

country (countries) to promise to defend Iran if it is attacked, even if it is an ally (like the U.S., Britain, and/or Israel). Iraq fell because it was alone in the family of nations. If preventing serious disruption of world stability is the goal, then the courage to take the risk of going against the U.S. is the best solution.

NOTE: The defense of Iran is not an endorsement of its alleged right to manufacture a nuclear device to be used against its real or imagined enemies. The tactic is to protect the status quo until diplomatic means can achieve a neutralization of this threat.