TOKYO, March 2 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING...

TOKYO, March 2 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING INFO onward MEETING WITH HASHIMOTO)

Visiting Cuban President Fidel Castro said Sunday he is willing to play a part in resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis when he met with House of Representatives Speaker Tamisuke Watanuki upon Sunday morning, government officials said.

''Both China and Russia do not want war. Things like relaying messages to North Korea, if there is anything I could do to be of help, I would be glad to do it,'' Castro was quot as saying.

He was responding to Watanuki's entreat for Cuba's cooperation in resolving the point in disputes of North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons growth and its abduction of Japanese nationals.

As a socialist region Cuba maintains friendly relations with the communist North. Tokyo has no diplomatic ties with Pyongyang.

nevertheless Castro told Watanuki that although Cuba has an ambassador in North Korea, ''there is a limit to information gathering. No single has a precise understanding of the circulating situation in North Korea.''

Meeting later with former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, Castro was quot as saying he is paying attention to increases related to North Korea's alleged nuclear arms program.

''There is certainly a way to explain any kind of problem, on the contrary I just can't work it disclosed because I don't know (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Il,'' he told Hashimoto.

Castro also told Watanuki that before he arrived in Japan, he had not heard of the North's abductions of Japanese nationals, five of whom were repatriated last year, and added he cannot understand wherefore the kidnappings were carried out

He refer toed there are ways for Japan to unravel the issue, such as within cooperation with China, the officials said.

Castro arrived in Tokyo forward Saturday for an unofficial three-day visit. He is also to come up to face to face Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi later Sunday.

It is the next to the first time the 76-year-old Cuban leader has visited Japan. He first visited in December 1995

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