Japan, Australia Seek Adherence to Lebanon Ceasefire

Tokyo, April 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, on Sunday urged all parties concerned to observe the ceasefire over the fighting between Israel and Lebanon. In a joint statement released on the day to sum up their talks in Tokyo the day before, the two ministers said, “We welcomed the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, and called on all parties to the conflict, including (Lebanese Shia Islamic group) Hezbollah, to adhere to it.” The 10-day ceasefire, which took effect Friday, is “an important contribution to realizing peace and stability in the region,” they said. They stressed “the need for continued negotiations” for the resolution of all the conflicts in the Middle East and “unimpeded and safe navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transport chokepoint. Apparently with China in mind, Koizumi and Marles said, “We reaffirmed our strong opposition to any unilateral actions, including by force or coercion, which escalate tensions and undermine regional peace and stability.” “We reiterated our serious concerns about the situations in the East China Sea and the South China Sea,” they also said. The ministers expressed “concern about instances of unsafe and unprofessional behavior by the People’s Liberation Army (of China),” apparently referring to incidents such as Chinese fighter jets repeatedly using flares, which emit intense heat and light, against Australian military aircraft. Over the Taiwan Strait, Koizumi and Marles voiced “strong opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo.” Stressing that peace and stability across the strait is essential for regional and international security and prosperity, they said, “We encourage dialogue rather than a resort to coercion or use of force.” Japan and Australia have reached an agreement on the sharing of confidential information, among other things, to facilitate collaboration between the two sides regarding the operations of Ghost Bat multirole unmanned aircraft set to be deployed to the Australian air force, according to the statement. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]