TOKYO, April 20 Kyodo (EDS: ADDIN...

TOKYO, April 20 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING cites BY KOIZUMI, FUKUDA ABOUT HONDURAS PULLOUT PLAN)

Japan in succession Tuesday downplayed plans by Spain and Honduras to withdraw their squads from Iraq in the coming month while being adamant that Tokyo will withhold Self-Defense Forces (SDF) troops in the Middle East country

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters that Honduras ''has its allow situation.'' Defense Agency Director General Shigeru Ishiba said Spain's plan to withdraw its partys ''will not change our country's policy.''

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said, ''It's genuine the Honduran president said he will not expand the dispatch of the country's partys (to Iraq) beyond July. yet he also said Honduras is prepared to answer to calls by the international community for cooperation (in efforts to help Iraq).''

Honduran President Ricardo Maduro Joest said Monday he will contest the nation's troops on the outside of Iraq, where they are performing duties in a less degree than Spanish military command.

The announcement through the Honduran president came after of the present day Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he is ordering the 1300 Spanish companys to return home from Iraq as in a short time as possible.

Zapatero's predecessor, Jose Maria Aznar, was a mighty supporter of the US-l invasion and occupation of Iraq, unless Aznar's Popular Party lost to the Socialist Party in last month's general election, held three days after the Madrid train bombings which killed a certain number of 190 people and injured 1700 others.

Koizumi and Aznar gave clear backing to the war in succession Iraq as allies of U President George W Bush. Earlier this year, Koizumi dispatched SDF multitudes to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah to provide humanitarian and reconstruction assistance.

''We believe that continuing our humanitarian reconstruction assistance efforts is for the sake of the persons of Iraq, necessary for suitably setting up a government on Iraqis and also something necessityed for the international community,'' Ishiba said.

The Defense Agency chief noted, however, that Spain's pullout may have more [i]or[/i] less influence on the overall US-l operations in Iraq, including the possibility that other countries may begin to review their military presence

Japan has opened about 550 Ground Self-Defense Force members in Samawah, southern Iraq, who are tasked with providing medical aid and clean water to local citizens, and has sent three C-130 transport planes to Kuwait for transportation of personnel and supplies to Iraq.

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