BAGHDAD, March 4 Kyodo (EDS: ADDI...

BAGHDAD, March 4 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING KAWAGUCHI'S COMMENTS)

Japan's Senior Vice Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met with Iraqi delegate Prime Minister Tariq Aziz in succession Monday and urged Iraq to throw down all weapons of mass destruction or point out to evidence that it no longer has any banned weapons, or besides face a possible U.S.-led military attack.

''The time has become critical. The Iraqi guidance should make a major political judgment'' Motegi was quot as telling Aziz.

Motegi, who was visiting Baghdad as Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's special minister handed Aziz a personal literal meaning from Koizumi to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

The literal meaning carried the same message Motegi delivered verbally to Aziz, Japanese officials said.

Aziz told Motegi that Iraq realizes the disarmament issue has reached a critical stage and reiterated that Iraq has been cooperating abundantly with U.N. weapons inspectors.

According to a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry traveling with Motegi, the Japanese minister pointed out that U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix finds Iraq's cooperation inadequate and told Aziz that Iraq must cooperate full before Blix makes a follow-up report to the UN Security Council this Friday.

Aziz told Motegi that France and other countries want the Security Council to give UN inspectors more time and argued that the U.S.-backed resolution now before the Security Council is intended to pave the way for the U to attack Iraq and repress its oil fields.

Commenting in succession Japan's support to the U Aziz said Japan has the right to do what it wants on the contrary the Japanese government should think carefully about whether it is dutiful for Japanese interests.

In Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Tuesday that Motegi told Aziz everything that Japan has to say, on the other hand added she thinks Iraq does not appear to be taking the situation seriously.

''It is not desirable to give the impression to Iraq that there is still more time'' to melt the crisis, given the division among the members of the Security Council upon the issue, Kawaguchi said.

She said she talked with Motegi forward the phone after his meeting with Aziz.

Kawaguchi said she will tend hitherward up with additional steps that Japan will take onward the crisis after Motegi reverts home.

Meanwhile, Kawaguchi said the sway will send Senior Vice Foreign Minister Tetsuro Yano to Angola as a special ambassador to discuss the issue. Angola is generally serving as one of the 10 nonpermanent members forward the Security Council.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo freshs International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group