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http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?np20020329b1.htm The Japan Times March 29, 2002 U.S. military chief seeking unlimited help from Tokyo By YOICHI KOSUKEGAWA Kyodo News WASHINGTON -- Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, voiced hope Wednesday that Japan will not invoke any time limit upon its support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism, with the campaign expected to last for many years. Myers said this should be Japan's decision but added in an interview with Kyodo News, "I'm sure the government of Japan will do the right thing when the time comes. "We've only seen a little bit of action in Afghanistan. That's not the only place that international terrorists reside." Following the enactment of the Antiterrorism Special Measures Law on Oct. 29, the Self-Defense Forces have sent several naval vessels to the Indian Ocean and C-130 aircraft to Pakistan in order to provide the U.S. military in Afghanistan with logistics support. The duration of the SDF dispatch, however, lasts to May 19, leaving Tokyo with a decision of whether to implement an extension. With the current special measures law due to expire in 2003, Japan would need to hammer out a new legal framework in the event of the war on terror being a prolonged affair. Myers praised the SDF dispatch, saying, "My assessment is that it's superb." Tokyo's prompt response to the U.S. pledge to fight terrorism constituted a great show of support and marked a historic moment for the use of the Self-Defense Forces, he said. Regarding the issue of U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Myers said Washington has no current plans to reduce the number of troops stationed there. "Right now I'd say that nothing is planned for the immediate future," he said. He said he opposed Okinawa's calls for a 15-year limit on U.S. use of an airport that will be built in northern Okinawa to assume the heliport functions of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in the central part of the prefecture. Myers said the issue should be considered "more by the strategic environment we find ourselves in, rather than by fixed time lines." He also voiced hope that Japan would participate in the development and deployment of a theater missile defense system, describing threats from missile attacks as real. "I think it would be appropriate, if the Japanese government thinks it's appropriate to join into this endeavor," he said. "I think this is the heart of self-defense." The two countries are now undertaking joint research on a system aimed at protecting Japanese and American forces in Japan from missile attacks. Myers voiced concern over reports of missile development and export activity in North Korea. "I think one of the major concerns there is the fact that they are developing missile systems, some of them with quite a long range, and they are willing to proliferate those systems to just about anybody," he said. One of the goals of the war on terrorism is to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of terrorists, he said. Myers said Washington has made no decision on any action that may be taken against Iraq, stressing that the U.S. will first consult with its allies. On the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, Myers believes bin Laden is still in eastern Afghanistan. "I suspect he is alive," he said. "I would also suspect he is in the area we just talked about -- somewhere along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan." Myers is scheduled to visit Japan, South Korea and the Philippines in April. The Japan Times: March 29, 2002 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Greetings - send holiday greetings for Easter, Passover http://greetings.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
