Two Japan Diplomats killed in an ambush in Tikrit

News, November 2003, www.aljazeerah.info

Sun November 30, 2003 12:34 AM ET

By Masayuki Kitano TOKYO (Reuters) -

Unknown assailants ambushed and murdered two Japanese diplomats in northern Iraq, piling new pressure on the Tokyo government as it weighs a decision on sending troops to help rebuild that country.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vowed not to cave in to terrorism despite the deaths on Saturday -- the first of Japanese in Iraq since the U.S.-led war began there in March.

"Our policy remains the same: we will not give in to terrorism," Kyodo news agency quoted Koizumi as telling senior aides on Sunday.

But the news can only deepen the dilemma for Koizumi, who must balance the demands of vital security ties with the United States with the concerns of domestic voters, who are increasingly nervous about the dangers involved.

A senior leader of Japan's political opposition underlined the government's predicament, demanding a special session of parliament to deal with the issue.

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi told a news conference that diplomats Katsuhiko Oku, 45, and Masamori Inoue, 30, were killed in the attack, which occurred near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad.

A non-Japanese driver of the diplomats' vehicle was also injured in the attack, officials said.

Kawaguchi said, however, that Tokyo remained undaunted in its determination to fight terrorism and help rebuild Iraq.

"This incident is unforgivable," she said. "There is no wavering in our country's basic stance to actively carry out reconstruction aid for Iraq without giving in to terrorism."

Earlier, Kawaguchi had told reporters that Japan would continue to carefully assess the situation to decide when it could send troops to Iraq.

PACIFIST CONSTRAINTS

Kawaguchi said that the two Japanese diplomats had been en route to a conference on the reconstruction of northern Iraq to be held in Tikrit, about 10-15 km from the ambush site. Political analysts say Koizumi, whose coalition retained power in a general election this month although with a reduced majority, risks a serious blow to his popularity if troops are sent to Iraq and deaths occur.

That would be an especially unwelcome prospect with an election for parliament's Upper House set for next July.

In an early sign of potential trouble, Katsuya Okada, secretary-general of the opposition Democratic Party -- which opposes the troop dispatch -- issued a statement calling on the government to explain its stance on the issue to the people.

"I feel strong anger and dread," he said.

"The government must be called to account for the wishful thinking of its predictions and safety measures (in Iraq)," Okada said, demanding convocation of a special parliamentary session.

Japan has passed a special law to enable it to send troops to Iraq, but in line with the nation's pacifist constitution, they can only be sent to "non-combat zones" and must take part only in reconstruction and humanitarian work.

Japan has also pledged to provide $5 billion in grants and loans to rebuild Iraq, making it the biggest donor after the United States.

Tokyo had inched closer to a troop dispatch on Friday, when Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said a recent fact-finding mission had reported that southern Iraq was relatively stable.

Members of a Japanese military survey team returned home on Thursday after investigating security around the town of Samawah, where Japan has been planning to send its forces.

A suicide bomb attack against a military barracks in nearby Nassiriya killed 19 Italians earlier in November, forcing Japan to put its plan to send troops by the end of the year on hold. (Additional reporting by Elaine Lies).

Two Japanese Die in Iraq Attacks

Sat November 29, 2003 09:02 PM ET

By Luke Baker BAGHDAD (Reuters) -

In Japan, the Foreign Ministry said two Japanese diplomats were also killed in an apparent ambush near Tikrit, hometown of Iraq's ousted leader Saddam Hussein about 110 miles north of the capital.

Reports of the killings came hours after the top military commander in Iraq said attacks against U.S. forces had fallen sharply in recent weeks, despite figures showing November to be the deadliest month for U.S. troops since the war began in March.

Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez said anti-American insurgents had struck fewer times in the past seven days than in the previous week and put the reduction down to more aggressive tactics by U.S. forces.

A Reuters television crew at the scene of the attack on the Spaniards about 28 miles from Baghdad filmed a burned-out vehicle surrounded with spent shell casings and scattered bits of flesh.

Trillo said in a nationally televised address that another agent had been slightly hurt in the attack by guerrillas using rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles.

The attacks on both the Spaniards and the Japanese are likely to embarrass their respective governments.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar defied public opinion at home to send around 1,300 peacekeepers to Iraq after strongly endorsing the U.S. and British decision to invade the country on March 20.

COMPLICATES TOKYO'S PLANS

The ambush on the Japanese, in which a non-Japanese driver was wounded, is likely to complicate efforts by Tokyo, Washington's closest Asian ally, to decide whether to send non-combat troops to help rebuild Iraq. Voters are increasingly nervous about the dangers involved.

But Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Tokyo still planned to assist in Iraq's reconstruction. She said Japan would watch the situation closely to decide on the troops

"This incident is unforgivable," she said. "There is no wavering in our country's basic stance to actively carry out reconstruction aid for Iraq without giving in to terrorism." She named the diplomats as 45-year-old Katsuhiko Oku and Masamori Inoue, 30.

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python (Alquds, 1/25/03.

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