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5TH LD: Fukuda, Bush agree to cooperate over N. Korea, climate ahead of G8+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) TOYAKO, Japan, July 6_(Kyodo) _ (EDS: ADDING INFO) Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and U.S. President George W. Bush agreed Sunday to cooperate in dealing with nuclear and abduction issues involving North Korea as well as climate change issues but failed to build a consensus on a key climate deal to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Ahead of the Group of Eight summit on Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, the two leaders also agreed to take "immediate actions" to address soaring food and oil prices, while Bush said at a press conference that the United States believes in a "strong dollar" policy. Fukuda arrived at the G-8 venue in the Lake Toya resort area earlier in the day, hoping to demonstrate his leadership as chair of the three-day summit beginning Monday, where discussions to create an effective framework to tackle climate change and address rising food prices are high on the agenda. In a joint press conference held after the one-hour talks between Fukuda and Bush, the two leaders stressed their close cooperation in dealing with North Korea, apparently taking into consideration concerns in Japan over the recent U.S. move to remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. "As I have agreed with President Bush, we would like to closely cooperate on the North Korean nuclear issue and the issue of its (past) abductions (of Japanese nationals)," Fukuda said. Bush, for his part, stressed he is "fully aware" of Japan's sensitivities on North Korea. He also noted that he received from Fukuda a book about Megumi Yokota, who was abducted at age 13 in 1977, and added, "So, Mr. Prime Minister, the United States will not abandon you on this issue." The United States began steps last month to remove North Korea from its blacklist, in response to Pyongyang's long-delayed declaration of its nuclear activities based on an agreement reached by the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea. While the declaration has boosted the momentum to resume the six-party talks, concerns remain in Japan that the removal of Pyongyang will lead Japan to lose leverage in pressing North Korea to resolve the abduction issue. During the talks, Fukuda also called on Bush to urge North Korea to swiftly realize its recent promise to Japan to conduct a reinvestigation into the abduction issue, and Bush offered his support to find a swift way toward a resolution, a senior Japanese government official said. On climate change issues, Fukuda said he agreed with Bush "to continue cooperating at the G-8" summit, including on the issue of setting a long-term global greenhouse gas reduction goal, and that views between Japan and the United States "are gradually converging." But he did not go into details, saying, "On whether we will agree to the long-term goal with the G-8 (leaders), negotiations are currently continuing, so I would say at this stage that we leaders will hold substantial talks the day after tomorrow," the second day of the summit. At stake in the upcoming summit is how far the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States can advance from last year's agreement at the summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, in "considering seriously" halving global greenhouse gas emissions from current levels by 2050. But the United States has been reluctant to set such a target without the involvement of China, India and other emerging economies with rapidly increasing emissions. Reiterating such a stance, Bush said at the press conference, "I also am realistic enough to tell you that if China and India don't share that same aspiration, we're not going to solve the problem." "The United States will, you know we are working, working to see if we can come up with a constructive statement," he added. Another Japanese government official who briefed reporters on the bilateral talks remained tight-lipped about the details of the exchanges, saying that climate change negotiations are "currently under way." A U.S.-led meeting of 16 major greenhouse gas emitters, which brings together the G-8 members and eight other countries including China, will be held Wednesday on the sidelines of the summit to discuss climate change. Stressing the importance of the upcoming summit, Fukuda told reporters in Tokyo before heading to Hokkaido, "The environment, economic issues, and included in that the food issue...these are precisely what world leaders must discuss. And this is a summit that is required to indicate a certain direction." For Bush, this summit will be his last, with his second four-year term as U.S. president coming to an end in January. Bush met Fukuda last November, when the Japanese leader chose the United States as the destination for his first official overseas trip as premier. Touching on the flagging U.S. dollar, seen as one of the main causes of rising commodity prices, Bush said at the press conference that the United States believes in a "strong dollar" policy. Fukuda said that he agreed with Bush to further enhance the Japan-U.S. alliance through cooperation in addressing global challenges such as African development and disaster reduction. On African issues, Fukuda and Bush agreed to work together in various forums, including the World Trade Organization, to urge the removal of policies that hinder food security, such as restrictions on exports, and identified health worker training and workforce development in certain African countries as a high priority over the next five years. In the joint press conference, Fukuda also announced he will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on Aug. 8. Fukuda will be the first Japanese prime minister to attend an Olympics opening ceremony since the late Noboru Takeshita did so in Seoul in 1988. Later in the day, Fukuda also held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the only leader among the G-8 countries he had yet to meet since taking office last September, and agreed to cooperate on African development and peace-building efforts. The two also shared concerns over the election chaos in Zimbabwe, with Fukuda expressing the need for the G-8 countries to deal with the issue, according to the government officials. After arriving in Hokkaido, Fukuda, accompanied by his wife Kiyoko, watched demonstrations of Japanese technology to address climate change at the International Media Center in Rusutsu, a village near the town of Toyako where the G-8 summit venue is located. To be environmentally friendly, the media center is equipped with solar power generation panels and an air-cooling system that uses snow stored since the winter. Copyright ? 2008 Kyodo News International, Inc. |