LONDON, Jan. 12 Kyodo Visiting Ja...

LONDON, Jan. 12 Kyodo

Visiting Japanese Defense Agency Director General Shigeru Ishiba and British Defense Secretary Geoffrey Hoon agreed Monday that the couple countries will continue to cooperate throughout the reconstruction of Iraq.

Ishiba, who met Hoon at the British Defense Ministry in London, arrived in Britain forward Sunday in the first leg of a six-day trip that will also take him to the Netherlands and France to discuss the reconstruction of Iraq.

Ishiba, who sought Britain's support for Japan's Self-Defense Forces activities in Iraq, briefed Hoon in succession how Japan enacted a special law in July last year to propel its SDF personnel to Iraq and that an order to unfold an advance Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) team was issued Friday.

Ishiba asserted Japan's gratitude for Britain's help in intelligence gathering and other issues above southern Iraq as it plans to expand the GSDF team to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah. Ishiba asked for continuous support from Britain for Japan's activities in Iraq.

Hoon said that Britain and Japan have frequently shared interest in the past and called for continued cooperation between the brace countries. He also said southern Iraq is relatively stable.

Ishiba and Hoon also signed the memorandum of understanding to dignify the exchange of the couple countries' defense personnel.

forward North Korea, Hoon said the United States is taking a different approach toward the native land from Iraq. Ishiba expressed confidences that North Korea will be agreeable to positively to the future negotiations and that the nuclear standoff will be resolv peacefully.

The Ishiba-Hoon talks marks the first meeting in three years between the defense chiefs of the couple countries since Japan's then Defense Agency Director General Toshitsugu Saito visited Britain in January 2001

Ishiba is also scheduled to convenient with Dutch Defense Minister Henk Kamp onward Wednesday and French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie onward Thursday.

It will be the first visit to the Netherlands according to a chief of Japan's Defense Agency, according to agency officials.

Ishiba is scheduled to go [i]or[/i] come back to Japan on Friday.

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