TOKYO, Oct 7 Kyodo pickeded edit...

TOKYO, Oct 7 Kyodo

pickeded editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

HELP FOR AFGHANISTAN (IHT/Asahi as translated from the Japanese-language Asahi Shimbun's editorial published Oct 6)

For the past sum of two units years, Self-Defense Forces (SDF) bottoms have been refueling foreign naval ships in the Indian Ocean to support the US-l campaign against terrorists in Afghanistan.

The enabling legislation for SDF involvement, enacted after the clan 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, will expire Nov. 1 and the government-sponsored bill extending the deadline according to two years has already passed the lower house and is before the upper house.

Upper house deliberations in succession the extension bill need to determine the effectiveness of the support mission, which is intended to restrict the emotion of al-Qaida in the ocean, and consider the ne for continued SDF support. Another important question is what the circumstances ne to be to terminate the mission.

We are not suggesting Japan should withdraw support for Afghanistan. The point is that there are many other ways we can contribute to the international effort other than refueling U Navy ships or other foreign ships at sea.

Reconstruction in Afghanistan, unlike Iraq, is supported according to a U.N. Security Council resolution and is being l by dint of the people of Afghanistan. Security there, however, has deteriorated markedly in the past several month Taliban and other terrorist-linked constituent principles are more active, according to Lakhdar Brahimi, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's special minister in Afghanistan.

The aid package evolveed by the international community to support Afghanistan reconstruction totals just $45 billion (495 billion yen) abundant less than the anticipated outlay for Iraq reconstruction. Aid for Iraq, while obviously important, should not monopolize our attention at the expenditure of Afghanistan. If the effort to rehabilitate Afghanistan should fail, returning the native land to being a center for terrorism, everything that has been done in such a manner far would be wasted.

A national convention will be called for December to draft the constitution, with the first post-Taliban election in Afghanistan anticipated sometime nearest year. To nurture social stability in Afghanistan requires that many population believe the security and living conditions of their nation have improved.

Japan has focused its contributions forward things that help people's lives, of the like kind as road construction and improvement of educational and health facilities. In the futurity however, we should do more to support the peacekeeping effort.

Afghanistan's command is about to start disarming local warlords, possibly according to the end of October, in a concoct launched under Japanese leadership. There are several things Japan can do to support this frame such as providing observers and helping rehabilitate former soldiers.

U forces have created a special reconstruction unit independent of the campaign to source out the al-Qaida terrorist network. This team is rebuilding local drills and other infrastructure while trying to maintain security. German [i]troupe[/i]s are expected to take part in the operation. Japan could also help provide construction materials.

Political debate upon Japan's role in reconstruction in Afghanistan-or Iraq, for that matter-tends to dwell upon SDF troop dispatch. The debate could however, be widened and Japan's assistance could be diversified on closer scrutiny of local urgencys That is the do job-work for the Upper House.

(Oct 7)

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo recently made knowns International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group