Koizumi, Bush discuss Iraq, NKorea and Japan's economy

TOKYO (AFP) Jul 28, 2003
Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and US President George W. Bush discussed the reconstruction of Iraq and the North Korean nuclear crisis during a brief phone call Monday, reports said.

Officials said the two leaders also focused on the importance of Japanese economic recovery during a 15-minute conversation, the Kyodo news agency said.

Bush welcomed the approval by Japan's parliament on Saturday for a new law that will allow Japanese troops to go to Iraq to assist in reconstruction work, the officials said.

Koizumi is believed to be considering sending the first Japanese troops to Iraq later this year in his country's first deployment to a combat zone since World War II.

Koizumi and Bush also reiterated that North Korea's standoff with the United States on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme should be settled peacefully through multilateral talks involving Japan and South Korea, the officials said.

On Japan's economy, Koizumi was quoted as telling Bush there had been positive signs of recovery and he would push forward with structural reforms.

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