Japan wil grotere rol in Midden-Oosten

Japan wil een grotere rol in het Midden Oosten spelen, en dus ook in het Midden-Oosten conflict. Dit is natuurlijk prachtig, hoe meer mensen er daar vrede willen hoe beter, toch? Het volgende maakte me echter wel een beetje wantrouwig:

 

Japan has long felt it has a special role to play in the Middle
East because it lacks much of the political baggage of the United
States, allowing for warmer ties with Arab nations and enabling
it to act as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians.

With Japan dependent on the region for nearly all of its crude
oil, Tokyo has decided to boost its political involvement in the
area as competition for resources heats up due to the surging
economic growth of China and India.

Een mediator in een conflict is doorgaans iemand die neutraal is en niet van een van beide partijen afhankelijk is. Hoe kan Japan met droge ogen de VS beschuldigen van partijdigheid, terwijl men zelf openlijk toegeeft dat de behoefte aan olie en dus goede banden met de Arabische staten de belangrijkste motivatie zijn? Men geeft overigens nog een andere, hiermee verbonden motivatie:

 

While Japan has worked as a regional mediator in the past,
analysts said the renewed push is aimed partly at improving its
image, which was tarnished in the eyes of some Arab nations by
Tokyo's dispatch of troops to Iraq on a reconstruction mission in
support of the United States.
 

Japan heeft dus iets goed te maken in de ogen van de Arabieren (en blijkbaar ook van Japan zelf), en daarom gaat men zich met het Israelisch-Palestijns conflict bemoeien. Uiteraard zullen de Arabische staten niet blij zijn met het veroordelen van terrorisme of de steun hiervoor vanuit verschillende Arabische staten, Arabisch antisemitisme, het eisen van een dubbelzinnige erkenning van Israel, en meer in het algemeen met een kritische houding naar de Arabische wereld. Japan zal, wil het vriendjes met de Arabieren worden, dus vooral Israel moeten bekritiseren en onder druk moeten zetten om concessies te doen. 

 

Dergelijke 'mediators' doen doorgaans helaas meer kwaad dan goed. Een van de complicerende factoren van het Israelisch-Palestijns conflict is dat zoveel landen en andere 'derden' met elk een eigen agenda en belangen zich ermee bemoeien. Vooral de olie lijkt het van de moraal te winnen in het Midden-Oosten.      

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Japan hosts Mideast peace meeting to raise profile
Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:17AM EDT
By Elaine Lies
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUST771620070314

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan on Wednesday kicked off four-way talks
aimed at working toward peace in the Middle East, part of efforts
to raise its political profile in the volatile region and ensure
a stable energy supply.

The two-day conference on easing tension between Israel and
Palestine centers on economic cooperation, with participants
hoping prosperity may help bring peace where other means have failed.

Japan has long felt it has a special role to play in the Middle
East because it lacks much of the political baggage of the United
States, allowing for warmer ties with Arab nations and enabling
it to act as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians.

With Japan dependent on the region for nearly all of its crude
oil, Tokyo has decided to boost its political involvement in the
area as competition for resources heats up due to the surging
economic growth of China and India.

"Dialogue between Israel and Palestine is now more important than
ever," said Tatsuo Arima, Japan's special envoy to the Middle
East and moderator of the talks, which include officials from
Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Japan.

"We are hosting these talks in the hope it will help them deepen
mutual trust and foster dialogue," Arima added.

High on the agenda is hammering out details of projects to be
carried out under a proposal made by former Japanese Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi during a trip to the region last year.

These include the development of an agro-industrial park along
the Jordan River for which Japan has said it will give $100
million. Tokyo is the second-largest aid donor to the Palestinian
territories on a country basis after the United States.

"I believe we've committed a mistake by dwelling so much on the
military side and the political side, and almost nothing on the
economic side," said Shimon Peres, Israel's deputy premier.

"I think the locomotive of change in our time is economic and not
political or strategic," he told Reuters.

A separate cabinet-level meeting of all four parties will be
hosted on Wednesday night by Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso
to formally launch the Koizumi proposal.

Aso said last month that Japan has to maintain a tangible
presence in the Middle East as rising energy demand in China and
India will make the oil market more of a seller's market.

Media reports say Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may visit the region
in late April or early May. Officials have said nothing is
decided, but Aso said mutual visits need to increase.

While Japan has worked as a regional mediator in the past,
analysts said the renewed push is aimed partly at improving its
image, which was tarnished in the eyes of some Arab nations by
Tokyo's dispatch of troops to Iraq on a reconstruction mission in
support of the United States.

"Political instability in the area is much higher than before, so
Japan has to make extra efforts now, as with the economic
projects," said Fumio Nishimura, a private diplomatic commentator.

"If the region isn't stable, Japan can't get its oil."

(Additional reporting by Dan Sloan)
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