Aso, Rudd agree to cooperate on economy, hope for breakthrough in U.S.

TOKYO, Oct. 1 Kyodo - Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd
agreed Wednesday to cooperate in dealing with global financial turmoil and
expressed hope that a breakthrough will be reached in the United States toward
the passage of a financial bailout package to stabilize the battered U.S.
financial sector, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.

During their 15-minute talks over the phone, Aso expressed concerns over rising
tension in the global financial and capital markets, while Rudd said he would
like to cooperate with Japan and other major economies to avoid a global
crisis, the official said.
The talks came after the two leaders met last week in New York on the sidelines
of the U.N. General Assembly session and agreed to boost their countries'
''strategic partnership'' in sectors such as security and the economy.
The U.S. administration has seen its $700 billion bailout plan blocked by the
U.S. House of Representatives, but U.S. media reported Tuesday that the U.S.
Senate will vote Wednesday night on a revised bailout package.