RIYADH, 26 May 2003 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd received Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at Al-Yamamah Palace here yesterday and underscored the strong relations between the two countries.
Earlier, Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, and Koizumi held talks on major global issues including the situation in Palestine and Iraq.
The two sides emphasized the “importance of speedy implementation of the Middle East Road Map to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” the Saudi Press Agency said.
The two countries also urged the Anglo-American occupiers to take quick steps to establish law and order in Iraq and allow the Iraqis to run the affairs of their country, paving the way for a constitutional government.
The Saudi-Japanese talks, which were attended by Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, also explored ways of strengthening bilateral ties.
Other prominent Saudi officials who were present at the talks were: Prince Miteb, minister of municipality and rural affairs, Prince Nawaf, director of intelligence, Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, minister of water and electricity, and Dr. Hashim Yamani, minister of commerce and industry.
The Japanese side was represented by a number of senior officials including Koizumi’s adviser and director-general of Middle East affairs at the Foreign Ministry.
Earlier on arrival, Koizumi was greeted at the airport by Prince Abdullah, Prince Sultan and other top officials. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, Koizumi said that his talks in Riyadh would focus on the reconstruction of Iraq and situation in Palestine.
The Japanese prime minister called for an international conference to support Iraq with the participation of other countries and organizations.
“Tokyo will encourage international organizations such as the United Nations to play an effective role to organize such a conference,” he told the Arabic daily.
Koizumi said the time was now ripe for the Israelis and Palestinians as well as the United States, Japan and the international community to promote peace in the Middle East.
Referring to Saudi-Japanese ties, he said: “We have developed these relations into new areas in recent years, including exchange of opinion on peace and stability in the region.”
Koizumi disclosed that his country was importing 86 percent of its oil needs from the Gulf region.
“I don’t have any plan to discuss any project in favor of any Japanese company during the visit,” he said.
The premier also pointed out that Japan was providing training to 70 to 120 Saudis every year in administration, engineering and information technology.
The Japanese premier arrived from Cairo where he held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Iraq and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Koizumi, following talks in Texas with US President George W. Bush, discussed with Mubarak how to support reconstruction in Iraq and efforts to revive the Arab-Israeli peace process. He said his country would offer Egypt economic aid worth more than $200 million to “contribute to economic and social development.”
