Japan to host Pakistan donors conference April 17+

TOKYO, March 24 Kyodo - Japan will host an international donors conference on April 17 to help Pakistan fight terrorism and overcome economic challenges, with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expected to attend, Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said
Tuesday.

''We look forward to the political commitment from the Pakistani government on
the challenging tasks of economic reform and antiterrorism measures,'' Nakasone
said, adding Japan and other donors are expected to pledge further assistance
for Pakistan at the meeting.
Japan, which considers Pakistan a ''front-line state'' in fighting terrorism,
especially given its unstable border areas with Afghanistan, will jointly host
the conference in Tokyo with the World Bank.
Ministerial-level representatives from around 20 countries, including the
United States and Britain, are expected to attend.
''With dampened external demand for its exports, an inflated import bill and
low investor confidence, Pakistan needs additional assistance from the
international community to restore economic stability and bring its economy
back to a higher growth path,'' the World Bank said in a press release.
The World Bank called for international support for Pakistan's financing and
development needs, noting that the country is confronting a ''very difficult
macroeconomic situation'' amid the global economic crisis.
The conference will be preceded by a Friends of Pakistan Group
ministerial-level meeting to be hosted by the Pakistani government on the
morning of April 17 in the Japanese capital, Nakasone said.
''Peace and stability in Pakistan are important for global peace and stability,
including that of Japan,'' the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a separate
statement.
Given Pakistan's geopolitical significance for the region's security, Japan
believes that shoring up Pakistan's economic development and counter-narcotics
measures especially in the Afghan-Pakistani border areas would help improve the
country's stability.
To show its eagerness to play a bigger role in affairs related to Pakistan and
Afghanistan, Tokyo has appointed Ambassador to Spain Motohide Yoshikawa to
serve concurrently as special envoy in charge of aid for Afghanistan and
Pakistan, and has named Japan International Cooperation Agency President Sadako
Ogata as Prime Minister Taro Aso's special envoy.
U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke, who met Ogata and Yoshikawa earlier this
month in Washington, has been invited to attend the conference.
==Kyodo