JCP chair and Pakistani foreign ministry official discuss Iraq, nuclear-weapons, and Pakistan-India dispute

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on December 23 held talks with Kamran Niaz, additional secretary of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan in Islamabad. Topics of discussion included Iraq, nuclear weapons, and the Pakistan-India dispute,

Shii as the leader of the JCP delegation was in Islamabad on his last leg of a tour of South Asian countries.

When Shii emphasized the need for a peaceful resolution of the Iraq question within the U.N. framework, Niaz agreed with Shii's position but expressed concern about the danger of UNSC resolution 1441 (which denies 'automaticity in using military force against Iraq) being interpreted in different ways.

On this point, Shii emphasized that the UNSC resolution is widely supported throughout the world, citing a joint declaration by France, Russia, and China reaffirming that 'automaticity' in the use of force is excluded, Syria's support for the resolution, and a warning by Pakistani Ambassador to the U.N. Munir Akram against the unilateral use of force.

On the question of nuclear weapons, Shii, in the name of the only A-bombed country's communist party, requested that the Pakistani government take initiatives for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Explaining why Pakistan maintains nuclear weapons, Niaz said that the JCP delegation should make the same request to India as well.

Shii stated that the JCP delegation had already made that request to India when he met with Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes and called on Niaz to strive together to eliminate all nuclear weapons from the world. Niaz expressed his agreement with Shii's call.

On the Pakistan-India dispute, Shii explained that the JCP sent letters to both countries calling for a peaceful settlement to their conflict and demanded that the two nations avoid war, in particular nuclear war. Niaz said that this is a sound and reasonable approach. (end)