LDP's Aso sees halting antiterror refueling mission possible+

TOKYO, Aug. 5 Kyodo -
Governing Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Taro Aso suggested Tuesday
that Japan could suspend the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean for U.S.-led
antiterrorism operations when the temporary law authorizing it expires in
January.

But even so, Japan should keep dispatching the Self-Defense Forces in any way
that would help reconstruct Afghanistan, Aso said in an interview with Kyodo
News and other media organizations. Aso is the influential No. 2 leader of the
LDP headed by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.

''If opponents say the refueling activity is unacceptable anyway, we would have
to consider how to deal with the matter including what else we can do,'' Aso
said.
As a possible alternative for suspending the refueling mission, Aso, a former
foreign minister, proposed that the Maritime Self-Defense Force be involved in
measures to ensure the safety of the sea lanes in the region.
''It would be impossible that the government has been doing nothing to
consider'' such an alternative, Aso said.
Aso did not elaborate but the remarks are widely taken as a bid to show the New
Komeito party, the LDP's junior partner in the ruling coalition, that the LDP
is mindful of wariness in the New Komeito of pushing ahead in parliament with a
bill to extend the refueling mission.
Aso suggested, however, it would not be a good idea for Japan to pull the SDF
out of any Afghan-linked missions.
''The world's interest has shifted to Afghanistan from Iraq. If Japan withdraws
from Afghan-related missions when other countries deploy more troops and units
in Afghanistan, that would be regarded as unacceptable,'' Aso said.
The MSDF is refueling vessels from countries participating in the U.S.-led
operations to interdict ships allegedly linked to terrorism in and near
Afghanistan.
The temporary law authorizing the mission expires in January and the issue of
whether to extend it will be closely watched in the next parliamentary session,
expected to convene by September.
The opposition camp which controls the House of Councillors, or the upper
chamber, is clearly opposed to the refueling mission.
==Kyodo