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Iranian foreign minister comes to Japan amid nuclear standoff+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, Feb. 27_(Kyodo) _ Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki arrived in Tokyo on Monday for a three-day visit to Japan that includes talks with his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso over Tehran's nuclear program. During his meeting with Mottaki on Monday afternoon, Aso is expected to call on Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment to allay international concerns over the nuclear program. His visit comes a day after Iran and Russia reached an agreement in principle to set up a joint uranium enrichment venture on Russian soil as proposed by Moscow, in a move that is hoped to defuse the current standoff ahead of a key International Atomic Energy Agency meeting on March 6. Japan, by capitalizing on its friendly ties with Iran and dependency on Iran as a major supplier of crude oil, is keen on playing a role in resolving the issue. Tokyo, unlike major European nations such as Germany, France and Britain, is not a direct player in negotiations with Iran over the standoff but hopes Mottaki's visit will provide an opportunity for Japan to make its own diplomatic effort to avert a nuclear crisis. Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said plans are also under way for Mottaki to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai. Mottaki, who served as Iranian ambassador to Japan from 1995 to 1999, is making his first visit to Japan since becoming foreign minister in August. Aso had said that during his meeting with Mottaki he would call on Iran to accept the Russian compromise proposal to enrich Iranian uranium outside of Iran. Iran maintains its nuclear program is only for energy-generating purposes, but the United States and some European and other nations are worried Tehran is working on a secret nuclear weapons program. Moscow's offer was seen as a last-ditch diplomatic effort ahead of the IAEA meeting which could pave the way for the international community to impose sanctions on Iran, if no progress is made over the Iranian nuclear stalemate. Calls for sanctions on Iran have been mounting after Tehran resumed uranium enrichment operations in response to a Feb. 4 decision by the IAEA to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council for noncompliance with the country's obligations under the IAEA safeguards accord. Japanese business leaders are hoping for a breakthrough in the Iranian nuclear issue due to worries the issue will have repercussions on Japan's oil dependency and stake in Iranian crude oil if it prompts the international community to impose economic sanctions on Iran. Iran is the third-largest supplier of crude oil for Japan. The two countries also agreed in February 2004 on an oil development project in Azadegan, southern Iran, one of the world's largest oil fields. On Wednesday, Mottaki is set to deliver a speech in Tokyo on Iran-Japan ties and Iran's foreign policy. |