RIYADH, 25 April 2003 — As part of its plan to hold intensive political consultations with the countries of the Middle East, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is expected to visit Saudi Arabia in June this year.
His talks with Saudi leaders will focus on the reconstruction of Iraq and the Middle East peace process. During his trip, Koizumi may also visit other countries including Egypt and Iran.
“The visit of Premier Koizumi is aimed at promoting Japan’s participation in the reconstruction process of Iraq,” said Al-Bawaba, an Egyptian publication.
When contacted by Arab News, the Japanese Embassy could not confirm the premier’s visit. Reliable sources, however, said that the visit is primarily intended to assess Tokyo’s participation in the rebuilding of Iraq and to help push the Middle East peace process, which has been on the backburner since the beginning of the war in Iraq.
The visit also aims at boosting links with Japan’s leading oil suppliers. According to the sources, Tokyo has pledged $100 million for Iraq’s reconstruction. Saudi Arabia, a close ally of Japan, has announced a fund-raising telethon to raise money for Iraq.
The sources said that the mission of the Japanese premier is also to reinforce ties with the Kingdom, Japan’s largest oil supplier and second largest trading partner of that country. The visit will be the first of a Japanese prime minister since the Kingdom refused to renew the 40-year-old lucrative oil concession after Tokyo declined to fund a major $2 billion railway expansion project in Saudi Arabia.
Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, visited Japan in 1998 in response to the visit of the Japanese premier to the Kingdom.
On the commercial front, relations between Riyadh and Tokyo have been growing, according to a fact sheet from the Japanese Embassy. Saudi-Japan trade is reported to be in the region of $11 billion annually.
Japan also sponsors a major training program for Saudis in which 1,333 Saudis have participated. The training program is organized by the Riyadh-based chapter of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Japan, whose total investment in Saudi Arabia exceeds $2.3 billion, is also the second largest investor in joint projects after the United States.
Tokyo has also contributed approximately $630 million since 1993 in economic assistance to the Palestinians.
