Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� May, 2003

Second Day of the Third Japan-PIF Summit Meeting Saturday, May 17, 2003 The Third Japan-Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Summit Meeting (PALM 2003)conducted the second day of discussions at the Bankoku Shinryokan in Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture and adopted the Leaders Declaration, entitled "The Okinawa Initiative: Regional Development Strategy For A More Prosperous and Safer Pacific," including cooperation between Japan and the Pacific Island Countries, and the Joint Action Plan. The Leaders Declaration clearly stated the need for enhanced vigilance against SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and set five priority policy targets, which Japan and Pacific Islands Countries will jointly undertake, including enhanced security in the Pacific Region through measures such as prevention of terrorism and international crimes, a safer and more sustainable environment, and improvement of education and human resources development. Furthermore, the Joint Action Plan clearly outlined that Japan will provide support in the collection of small arms and the provision of vocational training for the ex-combatants and involuntarily displaced people in order to realize those policy priorities. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who served as a co-chair with Mr. Laisenia Qarase, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Islands, said, "I would like to build a better future as neighbors in the Pacific Region by steadily implementing the Okinawa Initiative." Prime Minister Koizumi left for Tokyo in the afternoon.

---