Newsletter No. 1319
News-Analysis
March 15, 2009

 

The following Newsletter has been contributed by Alex Calvo (Shingetsu Member No. 127), who currently serves as Professor of International Relations and International Law, European University in Barcelona (Spain); and Research and Teaching Fellow, OSCE Academy in Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic).

TWO JAPANESE SPECIAL ENVOYS TO HOST PAKISTAN DONOR CONFERENCE

The appointment of Sadako Ogata and Motohide Yoshikawa as special envoys to the region was announced earlier this month. They are jointly charged with supporting both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Photo: Ms. Ogata
Source: UNHCR

According to comments to reporters by Ms. Ogata after her meeting with Prime Minister Taro Aso, both envoys were given the task of meeting their US counterpart Richard Holbrooke to coordinate policy towards the region.

Photo: Ambassador Yoshikawa
Source: Embassy of Japan in Spain

Meetings with US Envoy Holbrooke and World Bank President Zoellick

Days later, on March 9th and 10th, the two Japanese envoys met Holbrooke and World Bank President Robert Zoellick in Washington. These meetings are part of the much-touted Japanese participation in the current US Afghanistan policy review. This participation was agreed to by US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Aso during their first meeting, as noted in Shingetsu Newsletter No. 1315. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also been quoted as saying that Washington wants “to have the benefit of the experience of the Japanese involvement as we go forward to determine the approach that we will be taking.”

International Donor Conference Next Month

In Washington, Ms. Ogata formally announced that Japan will host an international conference for states providing aid to Pakistan. Mr. Holbrooke immediately accepted the Japanese invitation, confirming that he would personally attend. European Union member-states and a number of international organizations will also take part. The meeting aims to reinforce the governing capacity of both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Japan apparently intends to use the occasion to urge Pakistan to strengthen governance in its border regions.

The Pakistani delegation to the conference is expected to be headed by President Asif Ali Zardari. The conference will take place in mid-April and will be preceded by a conference in The Hague on March 31st on the future of Afghanistan. Japan hosted a similar conference of donors for Afghanistan shortly after the fall of the Taliban regime in January 2002.

AFP quoted an unnamed Japanese diplomat who attended the Washington meetings as saying, “We share a feeling that there should be a sense of urgency to encourage Pakistan to get on the right track.” According to the same source, Tokyo is likely to pledge more aid to Islamabad but donor countries will press Pakistan to fight jihadists in its border regions and undertake economic reforms. The diplomat added, “We will support them, but they also have to make their own commitment.”

Pakistan was the beneficiary last year of a US$7.6 billion line of credit from the International Monetary Fund, but claims it needs much more money to stabilize its economy, which, together with growing violence, is a matter of concern for its government and the international community.