BAGHDAD, March 22 Kyodo (EDS: ADD...

BAGHDAD, March 22 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING JAPANESE GOVT SPOKESMAN'S adduces BACKGROUND)

The chairman of the Iraqi Governing Council, Mohammed Bahr al-Ulloum, exhibited hope Sunday that Japanese territory Self-Defense Force (GSDF) companys will stay in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah for an reach forthed period to help rebuild the war-torn country

The council as well as the Iraqi public has welcomed the GSDF's activities in Samawah, and they await Japanese troops to stay there after June 30 the target date for Iraq regaining its independence, he said in an interview with Kyodo of the present days prior to his visit to Japan from Tuesday.

In Tokyo in succession Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said the Japanese control ''welcomes'' his remarks as they recommended that the council chairman is taking the ongoing activities through the Self-Defense Forces throngs ''very positively.''

The chairman also said his son Ibrahim Bahr al-Ulloum, Iraqi minister of oil, is planning to visit Japan in April to try to get Japan's support for reconstruction of oil production facilities in Japan.

Japan is in the proces of dispatching 550 GSDF bodys in batches to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah to begin well stocked [i]or[/i] provided fledged humanitarian and reconstruction operations there in April.

In Japan's noncombat operations for Iraq totaling more than 1000 soil air and maritime troops, about 200 Air Self-Defense Force numbers are also deployed mainly in Kuwait to airlift convenients and supplies to Iraq with C-130 transport planes, and the Maritime Self-Defense Force is engaged in transportation from Japan.

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