Japan-EU Parliamentarian League members discuss Afghan situation

A discussion between the Parliamentarian League of Japan and the European
Union from October 30-31 in Tokyo was focused on the issue of the U.S.-led
air strikes against Afghanistan as hindering the cause of the prevention and
elimination of international terrorism.

Yamaguchi Tomio (House of Representatives member), who took part in the
meeting on behalf of the Japanese Communist Party, said: "Unilateralism
won't help in rooting out terrorism. The need now is for the bogged down
retaliatory war to be stopped immediately and non-military measures against
terrorists taken under the United Nations. Article 9 of Japan's Constitution
prohibits Japan from maintaining military forces and from sending the
Self-Defense Forces abroad. The JCP is opposed to the new legislation
allowing the dispatch of SDF units abroad. We are now demanding that such an
unconstitutional law not be invoked."

A Belgian parliamentarian member said that most people thought it was
almost impossible to bring former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to
an international tribunal. But it came about and this is an important lesson
we should learn as we deal with the present problem involving Afghanistan,
he added. (end)