Japan Press Weekly

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2009 June 10 - 16 [JCP]

Shii meets with Ecuadorian ambassador

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on June 10 met with Ecuadorian Ambassador Javier Ponce at the JCP head office and discussed Japan-Ecuador relations and the Latin American situation.

The ambassador said that in carrying out a series of reforms under President Rafael Correa’s government, Ecuador has been attentive to the needs of the public and held national referendums on the country’s key issue of establishing a new constitution.

Shii said he is glad to know that the “citizens’ revolution” (la revolucion ciudadana) in Ecuador has made significant achievements, including the establishment of the democratic constitution, rejection of neo-liberalism, the movement towards removing U.S. military bases from Ecuador, and the constitutional provision protecting workers in the informal sector.

Shii touched on the letter he had sent to U.S. President Obama to call for the start of negotiations on an international treaty to abolish nuclear weapons, and said he had received a reply from the U.S. government appreciating the JCP suggestion.

The ambassador said that the JCP letter to the U.S. president was timely and that he agrees with what it calls for.

Shii expressed his hope that the JCP will further develop relationships with the government of Ecuador through the effort to get nuclear weapons abolished.