Cablegate: Media Reaction Q Us-India Nuclear Accord - Tokyo

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UNCLAS TOKYO 003563

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR I/RF, PA/PR/FPC/W, IIP/G/EA, EAP/PD, R/MR,
EAP/J, EAP/P, PM;
USTR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE;
TREASURY FOR OASIA/IMI;
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA;
CP BUTLER OKINAWA FOR AREA FIELD OFFICE;
PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO JA
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION Q US-INDIA NUCLEAR ACCORD - TOKYO

LEAD STORIES: Wednesday morning's moderate Tokyo Shimbun
front-paged a report from Cairo that Palestinian
President Abbas and Prime Minister Haniyeh appear to have
reached an agreement about recognizing the existence of
Israel.

1. "Premier Should Not Support US-India Nuclear Accord"
The liberal Asahi editorialized (6/28): "...During their
June 29 talks at the White House, President Bush and PM
Koizumi are expected to play up the US-Japan 'honeymoon'
of the past five years. They are also likely to discuss
troublesome matters, such as the US-India nuclear accord
concluded in March. India went ahead with a nuclear test
in 1998 in open defiance of international efforts to halt
nuclear proliferation. India has long criticized the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as being unequal
and has refused to join it. Nevertheless, the Bush
administration reached an accord with India on providing
it with nuclear fuel and technology for its civilian
program. The US is seeking approval of the pact from
European nations and Japan, raising the possibility that
Bush will make a direct request of Koizumi during their
talks.

2. "This is clearly a double standard. The NPT recognizes
the US, Russia, Britain, France, and China as nuclear
weapons states. It guarantees other nations the use of
nuclear energy and international cooperation in exchange
for their non-possession of nuclear weapons. Making an
exception for India would introduce further
contradictions into the nonproliferation framework....
What if Pakistan seeks a similar exception? Approving
this double standard is out of the question at a time
when the international community is trying desperately to
persuade Iran, which is a signatory to the NPT and has
indicated that it will accept IAEA inspections, to
suspend uranium enrichment. There is no question that the
US-India nuclear deal will also have a negative impact on
the six-party talks at which North Korea is being pressed
to give up its nuclear program.... Japan, as the only
country to have been attacked using nuclear weapons,
cannot go along with an accord that would open a hole in
the already creaking NPT framework."

DONOVAN

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