During a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, Rowhani stressed that Iran is not seeking to increase tensions and threats against Washington.

He went on to say that the new American administration was expected to try to eliminate existing barriers in the way of Tehran-Washington ties as well as its economic embargo against Iran.

"After the September 11 attacks, the Islamic Republic has had close cooperation with the UN in the fight against terrorism and has played an active and constructive role in current efforts toward Afghan reconstruction.

"Unfortunately, without giving credit to these efforts, the Bush administration and Congress intensified their hostile attitude towards Iran as shown by their approval of a bill banning Iranians from entering that country," the secretary said.

Calling the ongoing crisis in the Mideast as a "human tragedy," Rowhani noted that Israel's disregard of UN resolutions follows the current trend of a weakening of the international cooperation.

"The Palestinian struggle to free their territories are guaranteed under international laws," he said.

Touching on the efforts to restore stability in Afghanistan as a mutual objective of Iran and Japan, Rowhani called for joint efforts to meet this goal.

Referring to Iran's readiness to boost all-out cooperation with Tokyo, he stated that Iran's geo-economic position clears the way for enhancement of economic ties with Japan and other Asian countries.

Yoriko Kawaguchi, for her part, voiced Tokyo's keen desire to have close and deep relations with Tehran.

Referring to the Azadegan Oil Fields project as an example of Iran-Japan economic cooperation, she expressed her country's willingness to cooperate with Iran toward reconstruction of Afghanistan and in the anti-drug campaign.

The foreign minister expressed regret for the atrocities and brutalities committed in Jenin and called for initiation of peace negotiations.

She referred to Iran as a powerful state in the region and the US as powerful country in the world, and noted that the two countries can play remarkable roles toward maintaining global stability.

Kawaguchi's visit to Tehran is the last leg of a four-nation Asian-European tour which has already taken her to the United Kingdom, Belgium and Afghanistan.

Before coming ot Iran, the Japanese foreign minister visited Afghanistan where she met with officials of that country including Afghan Interim Administration chairman Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.

Japan and Iran clinched a landmark deal during President Mohammad Khatami's visit to Tokyo in 2000 giving preferential negotiation rights to Japan for the development of Azadegan, the world's biggest undeveloped oilfield in southern Iran.

The deal, totalling 2.8 billion dollars, was reported at the time to be Japan's biggest oil development scheme after it lost a deal to drill part of a Saudi Arabian oilfield.

Japanese FM favours normalisation of US-Iranian relations

Kawaguchi believes that this will facilitate regional and global stability.

At the same time, the Japanese foreign minister distanced from the US administration's position that included Iran, together with Iraq and North Korea, in an axis of evil.

She confirmed Tokyo's drive for developing relations with Iran, which supplied over 10 percent of oil to Japan. Kawaguchi said she supported reforms in Iran.

The ministers, agreed to cooperate in post-crisis rehabilitation in Afghanistan, including such spheres as the fight against drugs trafficking and rendering aid to refugees. But their positions differed on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Kawaguchi urged Tehran to play a constructive role in contributing to peace talks while Kharazzi stressed the need to recognise the struggle of the Palestinian people.

Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said that Tehran and Tokyo can further expand mutual cooperation to restore stability and promote international security.

Kharrazi told the visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi that Tehran's willingness to contribute to Afghan reconstruction is in line with guaranteeing the country's national interests.

He said Tehran considers strengthening the central government of Afghanistan and restoration of peace and stability there as an important factor for the return of refugees and its progress towards economic development.

He criticized the US for its policies in Afghanistan and Palestine and said the policies are based on unilateralism and have faced wide-scale protests by Muslim governments and public opinion in Muslim states.

He expressed concern over continued massacre of the Palestinian people and said the one-sided and full support of the US for Israel has been the key to continuation of the ongoing crisis in the region, making Israel obstinate in continuing its crimes.

He stressed the need for contribution of many countries to halt the massacre of the defenseless Palestinian people. He said to restore lasting and durable peace in the Middle East, countries are required to heed the destiny of the Palestinian nation and full restoration of their rights.

The first step towards exerting pressure on Israel is to implement the UN Security Council resolutions, he said.

Yoriko Kawaguchi for her part said Iran's 'praiseworthy' role in the international meetings of Bonn and Tokyo and restoration of calm and stability in Afghanistan has made Tokyo more determined to hold talks and cooperate with Iran in the case of Afghanistan on bilateral and trilateral basis with the participation of Afghan government.

She said cooperation in different fields of reconstruction, including return of Afghan refugees, health and medicare assistance and drugs are effective steps towards helping the Afghan people.

Elsewhere in her remarks, Yoriko Kawaguchi said parliamentary relations between Iran and Japan would lead to closer inter-governmental ties.

"The government of Japan is for strengthening and expanding ties with Iran as a very important country in the region," said the Japanese minister, calling growing contacts between Tehran and Tokyo as 'very helpful'.

Both sides welcomed the growing cultural relations and facilitating organization of different cultural and arts fairs.

... Payvand News - 5/5/02 ... --