Aso heads to Washington for talks with Obama+

TOKYO, Feb. 23 Kyodo - Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso headed to Washington on Monday night as the first foreign leader to meet with President Barack Obama at the White House, where the two will underscore the importance of the bilateral alliance by reaffirming cooperation over the economic crisis, antiterrorism efforts and
global warming.

Aso, embattled by plummeting support ratings amid the nation's worst postwar
economic crisis, will announce fresh aid for Pakistan, including low-interest
loans, to demonstrate Tokyo support for the United States in fighting terrorism
in neighboring Afghanistan, a priority in Obama's foreign policy.
''At a time when the world is riddled with problems such as the financial
crisis, terrorism and global warming,'' Aso told reporters in Tokyo before
leaving, ''it is most important for the United States and Japan, which are the
world's largest and second-largest economies, to share recognition on the need
to cooperate in tackling seriously the worldwide and long-term problems.''
''While time is limited, this will be an important meeting in which (the
leaders will discuss) how the international community can overcome this global
(financial) crisis,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said Monday
morning.
Aso plans to convey the message that ''Japan will do whatever it can with its
financial and economic capabilities for stabilizing the international
economy,'' and will engage in a ''frank discussion'' with Obama on the
controversial ''Buy American'' provision in the U.S. economic stimulus package,
Kawamura said.
Meeting ahead of the Group of 20 financial summit scheduled for April 2 in
London, the leaders of the world's top two economies are expected to coordinate
measures to deal with the global economic downturn.
Both leaders will also agree to press ahead with concerted efforts to boost the
bilateral alliance and address the situation in North Korea, including its
nuclear weapons and missile programs which Tokyo and Washington hope to resolve
through the six-party denuclearization negotiations.
Aso is expected to seek Obama's understanding of and support for Japan's
position on demanding that North Korea come clean over its past abductions of
at least a dozen Japanese citizens who remain missing.
On global warming, a field in which the two allies' positions differed under
former U.S. President George W. Bush's administration, Aso and Obama are likely
to agree to close cooperation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such as by
promoting the development of alternative energy sources.
The talks between Aso and Obama on Tuesday morning will come ahead of Obama's
policy speech to a joint session of Congress that night to outline his domestic
and foreign policy agenda.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conveyed Obama's invitation for talks
with Aso in Washington during her trip to Japan last week.
Aso will be the first foreign leader to be hosted by the new U.S. president at
the White House since he took office Jan. 20. Obama met with Mexican President
Felipe Calderon in Washington prior to his inauguration and Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa last week on his first international trip.
==Kyodo
2009-02-23 22:30:48