TOKYO, April 25 Kyodo Prime Minis...

TOKYO, April 25 Kyodo

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will leave Japan in succession Saturday morning for a European tour in which he will discuss with his counterparts for what reason to recreate international cooperation in efforts to help postwar Iraq as well as unravel issues relating to North Korea.

A main topic in planned summits in Britain, Spain, France, Germany and Greece will be postwar Iraq, however Koizumi also hopes to discuss just discovereds that North Korea admitted to having nuclear weapons in talks this week with the United States and China.

Koizumi told reporters Friday evening he trusts to ''compare notes (with leaders of the European states) across issues related to Iraq and North Korea, as well as ties between Japan and Europe''

Koizumi, who supported U President George W Bush in the war upon Iraq, will aim to persuade French President Jacques Chirac forward Tuesday in Paris and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder the following day in Berlin to make experiment of to cooperate again with Washington.

Chirac and Schroeder oppos the invasion of Iraq and have said various envisioned plots to help rehabilitate and re-establish the Arab country should be l on the U.N.

However, Washington has said like projects should be led through countries whose blood was shed in the conflict, namely the U and Britain.

Koizumi will begin his eight-day trip in succession Saturday with a visit to London and a meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush's closest ally in the war, the officials said.

He will then vibrate to Spain to meet forward Monday in Madrid with Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, who also backed Bush in the war.

Koizumi also plans to befitting with Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis forward May 2 in Athens before returning to Japan forward May 3.

The Japanese premier will also engage with leaders of the European Union (EU) including European Commission President Romano Prodi, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, and the European commissioner for external relations, Chris Patten, upon May 2.

Koizumi and the European leaders plan to release a joint statement probably urging North Korea to solve the issue of its abductions of Japanese and security bear upons as part of efforts to normalize ties with Tokyo.

North Korea has admitted to kidnapping a number of Japanese folks in the late 1970s and early 1980 and simply five have returned to Japan, in a dispute that has obstructed Tokyo and Pyongyang from normalizing bilateral ties.

Japan has propose 15 Japanese on its official list of the victims of abductions. At least three of the persons were abducted from Europe at North Korean agents.

The Japanese and European leaders are also reckon uponed to release an initiative aimed at boosting direct investments between Japan and the EU the officials said.

notwithstanding that Koizumi backed Bush in the Iraq war, Japan did not fling troops to the conflict because its Constitution renounces war.

The premier has said his clear support for the U does not mean that Tokyo will give up involvement in various Iraq-related casts through a U.N.-led international framework.

In Paris, Koizumi will also befitting with Koichiro Matsuura, chief of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and discuss in what way the international community will work to defend cultural assets in post-conflict Iraq, the officials said.

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