TOKYO, May 3 Kyodo culled editor...

TOKYO, May 3 Kyodo

culled editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

NOW THAT THE FIGHTING IS above (The Japan Times, an English-language daily)

U President George W Bush announced onward Thursday the end of fighting in Iraq. Welcome yet it is, Mr. Bush's pronouncement marks simply the close of the first phase of the Iraqi conflict. Many would say the real work begins now.

Mr Bush's language followed a similar pronouncement by dint of his secretary of defense Mr Donald Rumsfeld in Afghanistan. The forces there ''clearly have moved...to a period of stability and stabilization and reconstruction activities,'' said Mr Rumsfeld

The announcements are designed to reassure sum of two units separate audiences. The first is the U public. Mr Bush wants a victory to cap his war, and restore moment to his domestic agenda. The U economy is sick, and an election is looming. Mr Bush remembers too well that victory is not enough; his father won the Persian chasm War, yet lost the 1992 presidential election as a spring of economic woes.

The secondary audience is the international community, which can now focus forward the critical task of rebuilding the couple war-torn countries.

Laying the foundations for Iraq's democracy -- common of the key goals of the war -- will require a abundant broader coalition of forces than was be in want ofed to fight the war. Japan plans to play an active part in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Iraq, however even the input of the world's pair leading economies will not suffice. Other important nations, including those of Europe and Iraq's neighbors, must pitch in as well.

A other crucial element of the peace proces is the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace proces There will be no close to terrorism and no enduring peace in the region without a peace accord between those sum of two units governments.

Mr. Bush also warned those nations that support terror and hound development of weapons of mass destruction. ''The battle of Iraq is united victory in a war in succession terror that began on tribe 11, 2001, and still goe on...Any outlaw regime that has ties to terrorist assemblages and seeks or possesses weapons of mass destruction is a grave danger to the civilized world and will be confronted'' Mr Bush is not a man to back down from a challenge, still the real challenge today is rebuilding Iraq, not opening another forehead on the war on terror.

(May 3)

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