Thai foreign minister assures Japan's Nakasone of stability+

BANGKOK, Jan. 10 Kyodo - Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya assured his Japanese counterpart Hirofumi Nakasone on Saturday that Thai politics have stabilized and his country is ready for better bilateral cooperation with Japan.

The ministers met at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok where Nakasone made a
stopover on his way to Cambodia and Laos.
Kasit said the discussions were wide-ranging, with Nakasone especially
interested in the political situation in Thailand.
''I assured him of stability inside Thai society and that the government is
determined to act for the benefit of people so there should be no cause or
discontentment that would lead to any (new) protests,'' he said.
Nakasone had urged Kasit, the minister said, to restore international
confidence in Thai politics and security, which were badly damaged by massive
street protests, occupations of government buildings and the eventual shutting
down of Bangkok's main international and domestic airports for more than a week
late last year.
The then antigovernment People's Alliance for Democracy used the mass protests
and the late November to early December airport sieges to unseat two elected
governments, one led by Samak Sundaravej and the second by Somchai Wongsawat.
The PAD alleged both premiers, even though their party had taken the most seats
in the general election, were proxies for former Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra, the democratically premier overthrown by a military coup in
September 2006.
Kasit belongs to the Democrat-led government set up after Somchai was removed
from office.
The Democrats were in opposition until mid-December.
Kasit told Nakasone on Saturday that Thailand is now prepared to move the
Japan-Thailand economic partnership ahead and is ready to resolve some
outstanding problems such as import and export exemptions at an upcoming
meeting between Japanese and Thai trade negotiators.
He said he also plans to hold a third joint-commission meeting on bilateral
cooperation as soon as possible.
Nakasone, Kasit said, told him Japan will soon send a special envoy to several
countries in Southeast Asia, starting with Thailand, to discuss ways to resolve
the regional financial crisis.
Nakasone is to meet Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Deputy Prime Minister
and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in Phnom Penh on Sunday morning, followed by
talks with Laotian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongloun
Sisoulith in Vientiane in the afternoon.
He is to return to Tokyo on Monday night.