JCP Ogata meets with Thai foreign ministry official

Ogata Yasuo, Japanese Communist Party Upper House member and International Bureau director, with Vice-Director Kasai Akira met with Norachit Sinhaseni, director-general of the East Asian Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand, at the ministry on November 25.

Ogata and Kasai, who were visiting Thailand to attend the Second International Conference of Asian Political Parties held from November 22 to 24 in Bangkok, exchanged opinions with Norachit about how to establish peace and cooperation in East and West Asia.

Referring to his visit to Middle East countries in October in an effort to prevent another war, Ogata explained that he told senior Iraqi government officials that Iraq should sincerely comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions, and that his effort was approved by government officials of all countries he visited. Norachit agreed with Ogata about the necessity for a peaceful resolution to the Iraq crisis.

Ogata pointed out that Japan and North Korea should resolve several pending issues under the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration in order to build security and peace on the Korean Peninsula. He added that North Korea should atone for its lawless acts outside the country and start taking part in the international community.

Norachit, who just visited North Korea in September, appreciated the resumption of Japan-North Korea normalization talks. (end)