Newsletter No. 574
News-Analysis
April 5, 2007

 

PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD SPEAKS ON JAPAN-IRAN RELATIONS

In the wake of Iran’s “gift” of releasing the British sailors with no (publicly acknowledged) quid pro quo, IRNA reports that Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has also addressed the issue of Japan-Iran relations. Of course, Ahmadinejad has said many things before that have affected the relationship (mostly negatively), but this is the first time I have read any comments by him that directly talk about the bilateral relationship.

According to IRNA, the president was asked about Japan by a Japanese reporter in Tehran. Here is the gist of his response: “If Japan approaches Iran in the same way as Iran approaches Japan, bilateral relations will expand in the future… I am satisfied with the mutual relationship, but there have been some fluctuations in these ties… We are interested in bolstering economic relations with Japan, but it is better not to connect international political developments in our bilateral ties.”

When President Ahmadinejad was asked if he might personally visit Japan, he said that “it depends on the trend of diplomatic affairs between the two countries.”

TOKYO BACKS IRAN OBSERVER STATUS IN SAARC

We haven’t discussed the potential significance of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) yet at the Shingetsu Institute. This organization currently has eight full members: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The organization was created in December 1985 at the suggestion of Bangladeshi President Ziaur Rahman, but has been hamstrung for many years by India-Pakistan rivalry, in particular. China, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and the United States all gained observer status in 2005.

The 14th SAARC summit has just been held in New Delhi. This summit confirmed the full membership of Afghanistan, and is addressing the issue of Iran’s candidacy for the organization.

Of direct significance to us is the fact that MOFA announced support for Iran’s candidacy as an observer in SAARC, defying Bush Administration attempts to isolate Iran as much as possible. In an interview with an Indian news service, MOFA’s Mitsuo Sakaba explained, “Regional cooperation in SAARC involving Iran can help in the development and democratization of Iran.” Indeed, yesterday Iran was accepted as a SAARC observer.

In analyzing this development, two points immediately stand out:

1) This is a rare case in which Tokyo is departing from US policy in the Islamic world.

2) This departure is apparently being justified under the rubric of the “Arc of Freedom and Prosperity” initiative, which purports to emphasize democratization in Asia.