Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� July, 2004

Japan-State of Kuwait Summit Meeting Tuesday, July 13, 2004 Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi held a meeting with Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. At the meeting, against the backdrop of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASD) setting its base in Kuwait to engage in air transportation duties on its mission for the reconstruction assistance to Iraq, Prime Minister Koizumi expressed his gratitude by saying, "Japan is receiving warm assistance and due consideration from Kuwait." To this, Prime Minister Sabah said, "Kuwait has finally stabilized with the collapse of the Hussein Administration. We appreciate the humanitarian assistance provided by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in Iraq, and expect that the Japanese Government will maintain the current policy regarding the dispatch of the SDF." Furthermore, Prime Minister Sabah shared his view by saying, "The security situation in Iraq is moving towards stability," to which Prime Minister Koizumi noted, "In the future, I expect to see assistance provided to Iraq from the private sector."