Japan to boost political involvement in West Asia

TOKYO, Feb 28 (Reuters) Japan, dependent on the West Asia for nearly all of its oil, is to boost its political involvement in the volatile region in the face of growing energy demand from China and India, its foreign minister said today.

Japan has long felt it has a special role to play in the region since it lacks much of the political baggage of the United States, allowing for warmer ties with Arab nations.

This has also enabled it to be a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians in the search for peace, work it intends to emphasise in the future, Foreign Minister Taro Aso said.

''It is impossible for me to overemphasise the critical importance for Japan of the West Asia, which provides us with such important resources,'' Aso said in a speech in Tokyo.

Noting that Japan last year imported 89.2 per cent of its crude oil from the region, Aso added that demands from nations such as China and India -- which he said already depend on the West Asia for some 40 and 60 per cent of their oil, respectively, -- would help make the oil market more of a seller's market than ever.

''As an oil consumer, clearly Japan must maintain a tangible presence in the Middle East,'' he added.

Although Aso laid down no specific policy steps, he said Tokyo would help broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians by such steps as hosting a four-way meeting with officials from Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority next month.

''It is essential that we secure and then reinforce maximum stability in the region, leading to a calmer and more stable order,'' he said.

''This can be done by making full use of Japan's economic, intellectual and diplomatic resources.'' Former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi offered economic assistance and cooperation during a visit to the region last summer, and current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said yesterday that he hoped Tokyo could help build peace and trust in the area. Tokyo plans to help build an agro-industrial park on the West Bank in a joint project under the framework proposed by Koizumi.

Media reports have said Abe could visit the region around late April or early May. Officials have said nothing has been decided, but Also said mutual visits by high-level and senior officials needed to be increased.

Japan is the second-largest aid donor to the Palestinian territories on a country basis after the United States, and Koizumi last year pledged nearly 30 million dollar in aid to President Mahmoud Abbas.

REUTERS BDP PM1712