IRELAND/JAPAN: The Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, and his Japanese counterpart, Mr Junichiro Koizumi, meeting in Tokyo last night, pledged to expand EU-Japan economic ties and strengthen co-operation in rebuilding Iraq. David McNeill reports from Tokyo.
But they avoided a potentially embarrassing diplomatic spat over the wording of a draft statement that condemned US abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
As holder of the rotating EU presidency, Mr Ahern was attending the first Japan-European Union summit meeting since the enlargement of the EU on May 1st, along with European Commission president Mr Romano Prodi and EU Trade Commissioner Mr Pascal Lamy.
The leaders sounded an upbeat note about expanding economic ties between Japan and Europe, which Mr Koizumi said is a "solid strategic partnership that accounts for 40 per cent of world GDP" and which can "only grow in importance". They also vowed to "inject further momentum" into the next round of WTO negotiations, which have stalled over disputes about farm trade liberalisation.
Mr Ahern, who is the first Taoiseach to visit Japan for eight years, added that the two leaders had also discussed bilateral issues of concern to both countries, including tourism and more inward investment in Ireland.
About 40 Japanese companies, which directly employ more than 2,000 people, currently have operations in Ireland.
But the summit was overshadowed by questions about the US-led war in Iraq, with Japanese journalists mostly focusing on Mr Koizumi's unpopular decision to commit his troops to a new multinational force without the participation of Germany or France.
Mr Koizumi said that the two European countries are "free to choose" what to do, while Mr Prodi said the absence of France and Germany "will not hinder the reconstruction" of the war-torn country.
Kyodo News also reported that the summit's final joint statement was watered down, following a demand by Tokyo to remove the phrase "the abuse of detainees" from an earlier draft, an apparent reference to the torture of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers. The official statement simply states: "respect for human rights and adherence to the rule of law are essential in the fight against terrorism". Kyodo said some of the EU delegates were unhappy at the "pro-Americanism" of the Koizumi government.