Aso, Obama agree to jointly tackle financial crisis+

TOKYO, Jan. 29 Kyodo - Prime Minister Taro Aso and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed Thursday to coordinate closely in tackling the global financial crisis and handling North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals, as well as nuclear and missile issues, Japanese government officials said.

In a 10-minute telephone conversation held Thursday morning Japan time, Aso and
Obama also agreed to make arrangements through diplomatic channels to hold
face-to-face bilateral summit talks at an early time, the officials said.
With this agreement, the Japanese government has started making arrangements
with the United States to hold a summit meeting as early as late February,
sources familiar with the Japan-U.S. relations said.
Although the White House is said to be positive about holding the summit, there
is still a possibility it may be delayed until March or later as other world
leaders are apparently making similar requests to the United States.
There is also a plan emerging to arrange a meeting between Japanese Foreign
Minister Hirofumi Nakasone and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before
the summit meeting, according to the sources.
In the first conversation between the two leaders since Obama took office Jan.
20, they also touched on continued cooperation in other areas such as the fight
against terrorism, climate change, African development and the reinforcement of
the Japan-U.S. alliance.
The two agreed to cooperate on creating an international framework to succeed
the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012, to tackle global warming, while Aso
expressed the Japanese government's intention to make active contributions to
seeking peace in the Middle East.
The talks, proposed by the U.S. side, were held in English without
interpretation, the officials said.
Aso also congratulated Obama on his inauguration, the officials said.
Aso and Obama also held telephone talks in November last year following the
latter's victory in the U.S. presidential election.
''It is very important for the world's No. 1 and No. 2 economies to join hands
to tackle immediate global issues including the global financial and economic
situation and deliver messages concerning their responses,'' said Chief Cabinet
Secretary Takeo Kawamura, who was with Aso during the talks.
''The first step of coordination with the Obama administration has started,''
Kawamura told a press conference.
Meanwhile, it appears the brief conversation did not serve to dispel concern in
Japan that the Obama administration's foreign policy will place priority on its
relationship with China more than Japan.
Since becoming president, Obama has held telephone talks with leaders of more
than 10 countries, including Israel, Egypt, Britain, France, Germany, Russia,
Brazil and Australia.
Obama held telephone talks with Aso only after conversations with leaders in
the Middle East and Europe, but a Japanese government source said the delay was
''evidence that the Japan-U.S. relationship is smooth sailing.''
''The Obama administration is placing priority on holding dialogue with
countries with which it has outstanding issues,'' the source said.
But the picture may not be so rosy, as the United States has indicated that
Japan should step up contributions on such global issues as supporting the
reconstruction of Afghanistan, with a U.S. government source saying Tokyo
should share the burden and decision making, and not just offer slogans.
==Kyodo
2009-01-29 22:02:27