Japan seeks bigger Middle East
role By J Sean Curtin
As
signs of life slowly return to the long-comatose Middle
East peace process, Tokyo is working hard to make a
positive contribution to regional stability. Because it
is a close ally of the United States and for decades has
also enjoyed an excellent relationship with the Arab
world, Japan occupies a unique position, one it
increasingly wants to utilize with both Palestinians and
Israelis.
Demonstrating regard for Japan and its
diplomatic and financial credentials, King Abdullah II
of Jordan met with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on
Monday in Tokyo, and Koizumi announced a grant of US$40
million for Jordan to help implement development
projects next year for the nation's large Palestinian
refugee population. Koizumi also reaffirmed his
commitment to the Middle East peace process, a shredded
"roadmap" that may be reconstructed after the death of
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and forthcoming
elections for a new Palestinian Authority.
Both
the Palestinians and Israelis view Japan's efforts very
favorably. Nabil Shaath, the minister of foreign affairs
for the Palestinian Authority, told Asia Times Online,
"As Palestinians, we are very much for global Japanese
participation and I think the Japanese themselves are
very willing to fulfill this role."
In a
separate interview with Asia Times Online, Israel's new
ambassador to the United Kingdom, Zvi Heifetz, was also
warm to the idea of Japan's involvement in the peace
process. "I think the Japanese contribution is
completely sincere, they really want to help," he said.
However, Japanese involvement in the Middle East
is not without its perils. Tokyo's dispatch of troops to
Iraq has tarnished its once-gleaming regional
credentials, and the recent decision to extend that
deployment for one year is domestically unpopular,
sending Koizumi's poll ratings tumbling to their lowest
level since he came to power in April 2001. And despite
its humanitarian mission, the troop deployment and
extension have not won international points for Japan
except with the US and the UK.
In a determined
effort to restore its Middle East reputation and
reassure its own public, Tokyo has been offering
financial aid to the Palestinians and moderate Arab
states, as well as engaging in other related diplomatic
activities. Its actions also are motivated by a strong
desire to raise its global profile, adding momentum to
its bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations
Security Council.
This year, Japan already has
pledged US$10 million to the newly created World Bank
trust fund to support the Palestinian Authority, $10
million for the Greater Middle East Initiative education
projects and almost $5 million in aid to the United
Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
in the Near East (UNRWA). The Japanese Foreign Ministry
also has hosted a three-day Israel-Palestine
confidence-building conference in Tokyo, which provided
leading figures from both sides an opportunity for
face-to-face discussions, far away from regional
pressures.
King Abdullah II's visit this week is
part of Japan's efforts to promote Middle East peace.
Jordan has a large Palestinian population and is the
main recipient of Japan's aid to countries in the Middle
East. In 2003, Tokyo gave the kingdom a grant of $100
million to help overcome economic and social problems
resulting from the Iraq war - the conflict made
cross-border trade impossible, as did the first Gulf
War. Since 1974 Tokyo has provided Jordan with $1.8
billion in soft loans, in addition to an integrated
economic aid package worth $400 million over the past
three years.
Japan aims to revive Palestinian
economy The main thrust of Japanese energies has
been its attempts to revive the battered Palestinian
economy, a move Israel views positively. Describing
Japanese efforts, Ambassador Heifetz said, "I would
welcome any support that it can give to the Palestinian
Authority to help their economic recovery. I think that
if their economy recovers and order is established, then
this will create a better atmosphere for negotiations."
Palestinians also are highly appreciative of
Japanese assistance, said Hanna Siniora, chairman of the
European Palestinian Chamber of Commerce. "Japan has
been one of the major contributors to the Palestinian
Authority and we sincerely hope that we will be able to
help develop our business links to Japan and Southeast
Asia." He added, "We are very grateful for the
assistance the Japanese have given and are giving to the
Palestinian people. They are very supportive of the
Palestinian economy and a range of other activities.
They are actually hosting one of the multilateral
committees that concerns the environment of our region."
Even those who are skeptical about the
effectiveness of Japan's current Middle East strategy
concede Japan has made a substantial contribution. Dr
John de Boer, a Japan-studies fellow at the Stanford
Institute for International Studies, told Asia Times
Online that between 1993 and August 2002, Japan was the
single largest donor of aid to the Palestinian
Authority, much of its assistance going to build a
much-needed social-services infrastructure.
"Unfortunately, since August 2002, much of what was
built with Japanese money has been destroyed as a result
of Israeli 'incursions'," he said.
The Israeli
government says it is unfair to blame Israel for all the
economic woes of the Palestinians. It believes
neighboring Arab countries could, if they wished to, do
a great deal more to assist. Ambassador Heifetz said
Japan's eagerness to help clearly illustrates this
point. He told Asia Times Online, "The Japanese are
proposing financial assistance and pledging their
support. In contrast, it is very strange that the Arab
countries are not more engaged in the process. I believe
they could be both instrumental and helpful in assisting
the Palestinian Authority in the process of economic
recovery."
Palestinians want more Japanese
input The Palestinians regard Japan so highly
that they have been calling for greater involvement from
Tokyo and its inclusion in the highest level of
negotiations. Foreign Minister Shaath explained to Asia
Times Online: "Structurally, we really wanted Japan to
be a member of the quartet [the United States, Russia,
the European Union and the United Nations that developed
the roadmap for peace]. In fact, we advocated a quintet.
But there was resistance from the Americans for
including Japan."
He added, "I think Japan
deserves very much to be a member of the quartet. Japan
has now been invited to be a member of the task force
around the quartet. Japan has also been a founding
member of the HLC [High-Level Committee] providing
economic support for the Palestinians and the peace
process."
Shaath also highlighted Japanese
diplomatic efforts in other areas. "Japan has
contributed significantly to the so-called
people-to-people programs, bringing Israelis and
Palestinians together for dialogue in Japan," he said.
In July Tokyo hosted an Israel-Palestine
confidence-building forum. The three-day Foreign
Ministry-sponsored event brought together former Israeli
finance minister Dan Meridor and the Palestinian
Authority minister for negotiation affairs, Saeb Erakat,
for face-to-face discussions.
Recently,
prominent Japanese lawmakers have been demanding that
Japan play a more active role in resolving the conflict.
Yukio Hatoyama, the foreign-affairs spokesman for the
main opposition Democratic Party of Japan and its former
leader, has called for Tokyo to get directly involved in
the forthcoming Palestinian Authority election. On
Monday he demanded, "Japan must dispatch an
election-monitoring team."
Troops in Iraq
tarnish Japan's image While the Palestinian
leadership supports the idea of greater Japanese
participation, the country's image in the wider Arab
world has suffered since it dispatched about 550 troops
to Iraq last January, despite the mission being a
strictly humanitarian one, focusing on reconstruction.
Many in the Middle East say Japan compromised
its neutrality by openly supporting US President George
W Bush's controversial Iraq policy and subsequently
sending troops to that country. Dr Mamdouh Salameh,
author of the highly influential report "Oil and Gas
Development in Iran and Its Implications for Japan",
sums up a view common across the Middle East. He told
Asia Times Online, "I strongly believe that Japan can
make a meaningful contribution to Middle East peace, but
only if it does not toe too closely the American policy
line.
"Japan is an economic superpower, and this
fact should translate into great political power.
Nevertheless, Japan's foreign policy is perceived in the
Arab world as no more than an extension of US foreign
policy. Only when it follows an independent foreign
policy will it be able to exercise its global
influence," Salameh said.
An alternative Arab
view sees Japan as a victim, being forced to deploy
troops against its will. Dr Buthaina Shaaban, a Syrian
cabinet minister, told Asia Times Online in an interview
this year (see Japan to polish its tarnished Middle
East image, May 5), "I think the people of the
Middle East are very politically savvy and they
understand that probably Japan has perhaps been
subjected to pressure. So people will forgive Japan for
that."
Koizumi polls hurt by Iraq deployment
extension While many in the Middle East are
forgiving, the Japanese electorate has not been so kind.
The initial troop dispatch was immensely unpopular and
partly blamed for the embarrassing loss suffered by
Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party in this July's Upper
House election. The recent decision to extend the
mission has been even more unpopular, sending Koizumi's
approval ratings into a nosedive.
A Mainichi
newspaper poll taken immediately after the extension
decision last week showed Koizumi's ratings plummet to
their lowest level since he took office in April 2001.
Only 37% said they supported his cabinet, while 45% said
they did not. When specifically asked about the dispatch
extension, 62% said they were against it, while only 3%
were in favor. The survey also showed a massive 84%
stating they didn't think Koizumi had offered enough
information for justifying the continuation of the
mission. An NHK poll produced similar results, also
finding 62% of those surveyed opposing the extension,
with just 28% in favor.
Dr Salameh, who is
familiar with both Japan and the Middle East, said many
Japanese want the country to chart a more independent
Middle East policy, as it has done in the past. "Japan
has shown in recent times that it can take decisions
against American 'objections'," he said, "as it did when
a consortium of Japanese companies reached agreement
with Iran to develop the huge Azadegan oilfield despite
strong opposition and threats from the United States. It
can do the same by withdrawing its forces from Iraq."
Dr de Boer, the Japan-studies fellow at the
Stanford Institute for International Studies, also said
Japan needs to be more assertive if it wants to achieve
any concrete results. He explained, "Japan has made
political demands to the Israeli government before. Most
recently it pressed hard for the Israeli government to
transfer millions of dollars of tax money owed to the
Palestinian Authority that it had withheld since
September 2002, [and] a significant portion of this
money was recently transferred. Today, Japan needs to
press the Israeli government toward dismantling the
separation wall" that Israel is building.
He
added, "As the UN report ['The Impact of Israel’s
Separation Barrier on Affected West Bank Communities']
conservatively estimates, the separation wall will have
tremendous and disastrous consequences upon Palestinian
society and its economy, and no matter how much money
the Japanese government pumps in, it is hard to imagine
a viable Palestinian state with a separation wall."
Zalman Shoval, a close adviser to Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon and a former Israeli ambassador to the
United States, said such views ignore his country's
legitimate security concerns and attach far too much
blame to Israel and the US while completely ignoring the
failings of the Arab world. Shoval said, "It's much
easier, of course, to blame US imperialism or Israel's
occupation of the territories for all the ills of the
region, conveniently forgetting that there was a time
when there hadn't been any occupation, rather than
putting the finger on the real reasons such as economic
and political stagnation, and technological backwardness
and the culture of violence engendered by a totalitarian
interpretation of Islam in some parts of the Arab and
Islamic world."
Cautious optimism about
prospects for peace While the various parties
remain bitterly divided over the causes of the
decades-old conflict, there is almost universal
agreement that the prospects for advancing the peace
process are good and that Japan has a significant role
to play. Since President Bush's re-election, his
administration has strongly emphasized the need to move
the moribund negotiations forward.
US Treasury
Secretary John Snow recently told Asia Times Online,
"Dealing with this issue is probably the central issue
that can bring the world closer together. I know that
the president is committed to doing what he can to make
that happen."
He added, "I think now that there
is an opportunity for following on with the ideas from
the roadmap [the quartet-drafted Middle East peace
plan], creating two states, respectful of each other,
and a peaceful Middle East. The Israel-Palestine issue
is a nexus. I know the president wants to do what he can
do to help the peace process along. We look forward to
the Palestinians choosing their new leadership
structure."
Others also viewed the death of
Arafat and Sharon's unilateral Gaza disengagement plan
as positive signs. Ambassador Heifetz summed up this
sentiment: "The re-election of President Bush, the
departure of Mr Arafat and the disengagement plan create
a positive atmosphere. I am very optimistic, but also
realistic, so I must warn that nothing will happen
overnight."
Middle East peace advantageous
for Japan The current alignment of circumstances
creates a genuine opportunity for Japan to make a
substantive contribution to helping resolve this
long-running dispute. It also offers Tokyo a chance to
display both its growing diplomatic influence and to
utilize its unique regional status as a respected
neutral party. Some also believe that it is in Japan's
long-term economic interest to be actively involved in a
just and lasting resolution of the bitter conflict.
"Japan needs Middle East oil, and this should be
the key to bolstering its position there through
investments in the oil sectors of the Middle East," Dr
Salameh observed. "That will be possible when Japan can
persuade the Arab people that it can use its huge
economic weight to support the European Union's efforts
to achieve peace in that troubled area of the world."
For ordinary Israelis and Palestinians alike,
Japan is seen as a trusted and unbiased party, exactly
the kind of intermediary needed to help push the
difficult negotiations forward.
Mordechay
Cristal, a member of the Israeli delegation to the
Permanent Status Peace Talks at Camp David and Taba,
said even-handed international involvement by countries
such as Japan will be a key element in a successful
outcome, something people in the region yearn for. He
told Asia Times Online, "In the medium term, in five,
six years, I believe we could reach a framework
agreement for permanent status. Why? Because I talk and
share with my colleagues, the Palestinians, Arabs,
people of my generation in Israel. We are all willing to
fight for a better future."
When recently
discussing the situation in the Middle East, Koizumi
said his policies in the region were "in accord with the
spirit of Japan's 'desire to occupy an honored place in
the international society', as stated in the Preamble of
the Constitution of Japan". If Japan succeeds in helping
to achieve a lasting Middle East peace, many feel it
will have earned the right to a permanent seat of the UN
Security Council.
J Sean Curtin is a
GLOCOM fellow at the Tokyo-based Japanese Institute of
Global Communications.
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