VZCZCXRO0188
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #3181 1930615
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 120615Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5428
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RHHMHBA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI//N541// PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA// PRIORITY
RUHBANB/OKINAWA FLD OFC US FORCES JAPAN CP BUTLER JA PRIORITY
RUALSFJ/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA PRIORITY
INFO RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 2027
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 4447
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 1114
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 2824
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 5616
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 7858
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1773
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 3919
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 5002
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS TOKYO 003181
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: TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - PAKISTAN MOSQUE SIEGE
1. LEAD STORIES: Most Thursday morning papers
front-paged a panel discussion among the heads of seven
main political parties in Tokyo on Wednesday one day
before the official start of the campaign for the July
29 Upper House election.
2. "Storming of Mosque: The Danger of Relying on Force"
The liberal Asahi editorialized (7/12): "The crisis at
the Red Mosque in Islamabad came to a tragic end, with
more than 60 fatalities.... After 9/11, Pakistan ended
its support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and
shifted course to cooperate with the US-led war on
terrorism. It is a matter of course that the Pakistani
government cannot allow radicals to have free rein in
Islamabad. The question is whether the government's
response was appropriate.... The government shut off
the supply of electricity and water to the mosque
immediately after the students barricaded themselves
inside. It could have maintained the pressure while
taking the time to persuade the students to come out.
Instead, the government ordered its forces to storm the
mosque only seven days after the crisis began....
Public criticism of Musharraf has been rising, making
it no longer certain that he will be reelected in a
presidential race slated for later this year. Should
the political situation in Pakistan become more
unstable, this would have an adverse impact on
Afghanistan and the rest of Central Asia, making it
even more difficult for the international community to
work together to fight terrorism."
SCHIEFFER