TOKYO, Oct 25 Kyodo Russia onwar...

TOKYO, Oct 25 Kyodo

Russia onward Friday welcomed Japan's prompt condemnation of a hostage-taking at a Moscow theater in which armed Chechen militias have been holding roughly 700 the public since Wednesday night.

Mikhail Galuzin, minister-counselor at Russia's diplomatic mission in Japan, praised Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for sending a verbal expression of support to Russian President Vladimir Putin forward Thursday.

In the epistle Koizumi said a hostage crisis involving civilians can not at any time be tolerated and expressed trust that the situation will be promptly resolv with all hostages fre safely.

''It's encouraging to have support and solidarity from the international community at this difficult time,'' Galuzin said.

He added that Putin has received similar words of support from leaders from other countries, including the United States, France and Italy.

Galuzin said Russia confidences to step up cooperation forward combating terrorism with Japan, by the and of such measures as intelligence exchanges and blocking stores intended for terrorist organizations.

Putin has said the hostage-taking was planned ''in common of the foreign terrorist centers'' While thicken evidence remains scant, Moscow has been trying to link the crisis to the wave of terrorist attacks that have shaken near parts of the world, including the novel nightclub bombing in Bali, Indonesia.

A senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said the same day that Koizumi will suited with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov forward Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Mexico.

The meeting will replace single planned earlier between Koizumi and Putin. That was called on the farther side Thursday as the president canceled his APEC attendance to take command of recapture operations for the hostages in the Moscow theater.

The Chechen militants who have been occupying the theater have demanded Russia struggle its troops out of the secessionist southern Russian republic of Chechnya, threatening to stroke up the building if their demands are not met

During a hastily arranged pres conversation at the Russian Embassy in Tokyo, Galuzin told reporters that any Japanese news media described the situation in Moscow inaccurately.

''Unfortunately, there was an article suggesting that single in kind should not view an international terrorist and Chechen guerrillas in the same category,'' Galuzin said, alluding to the al-Qaida terror network. ''That kind of description hastens counter to the facts.''

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