Japonese PM talks with UN’s Annan about Darfur, U.N. reform
NEW YORK, Sep 21, 2004 (Kyodo) — Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi talked with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday about globally critical issues including the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and UN reform, a Japanese official said.
Koizumi told Annan that Japan is concerned about the crisis in Darfur in western Sudan and has decided to provide an additional 21m dollars for the UN humanitarian operation in Darfur, where atrocities have reportedly taken place, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masaaki Yamazaki said at a news briefing.
The UN Security Council on Saturday adopted a resolution threatening Sudan with an oil embargo unless it cooperates with an international probe into the alleged atrocities in the Darfur region.
The resolution asks Annan to promptly set up an international panel to probe abuses in order for the United Nations to judge whether it should recognize the conflict in the Darfur region as genocide.
Annan thanked Koizumi for Japan’s support and reiterated that the Sudanese government has an obligation to protect its citizens. He called on the international community to provide financial and other forms of support to keep monitoring the situation in Darfur, the Japanese spokesman told reporters.
In an address to the General Assembly session earlier in the day, Annan singled out the Darfur situation as one of major hot spots, challenges and crises around the globe, along with the continued kidnapping of civilians in Iraq, the abuse of Iraqi detainees and the mutilation of children in Uganda.
On UN reform, Koizumi told Annan that this is an important year for the United Nations ahead of its 60th anniversary next year.
Koizumi told Annan that he hopes that the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, set up by Annan last November to speed up the reform, will discuss the issue of Security Council reform in its final report.
Annan told Koizumi that he looks forward to receiving the report on Dec. 1 and that he hopes it will be a comprehensive one, according to the spokesman.
Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi also attended the meeting at the United Nations headquarters.