Shii attends dinner hosted by Pakistani Senate committee chair

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Shii attends dinner hosted by Pakistani Senate committee chair

The Japanese Communist Party delegation led by Chair Shii Kazuo attended a welcome dinner given by Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Mushahid Hussain Sayed at the parliament building on September 20. The delegation was received by about 60 people, including parliamentarians, representatives of political parties, and those who are concerned with foreign relations and economics.

Also present were 25 senators out of the total of 100 senators, ministers, and government officials. Sayed introduced Shii to each lawmaker and stated, "I know well that the JCP is a party of sovereign independence. This JCP delegation is a special guest of the state, the government, and the people of Pakistan."

Shii in his speech touched on the fact that he and Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in the talks on September 18 agreed on three points that include a world order for peace, ways to eradicate terrorism, and the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Shii stated, "In order to root out terrorism, it is important to eradicate poverty and improve education. Japan has dispatched the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq, but the money should have been used for those who suffer from poverty. I will urge the Japanese government to increase assistance in this field."

Referring to his visit to the ancient ruins of Taxila where Greek civilization and Buddhist civilization had met and merged, Shii stated, "I want to make the 21 century a peaceful century through mutual understanding and coexistence among civilizations, not a clash of them. I hope this meeting of communism and Islam will be a step toward a new world."
- Akahata, September 21, 2006