rediff.com
rediff.com
News Find/Feedback/Site Index
      HOME | NEWS | AFP | REPORT
July 17, 2000

MESSAGE BOARD
NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff


Rediff Shopping
Shop & gift from thousands of products!
  Books     Music    
  Apparel   Jewellery
  Flowers   More..     

Safe Shopping

Japan may lift sanctions on India, Pakistan soon: AFP

E-Mail this report to a friend

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori is likely to announce the lifting of the two-year-old economic sanctions on India and Pakistan during his visit to the nations in late August, a report said on Monday.

Business leaders and Mori's Liberal Democratic Party persuaded the government over the issue in a bid to repair relations in particular with India, which is becoming one of the world's largest markets, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said.

Tokyo also feared further deterioration in the Pakistani economy could fuel activities among Islamic fundamentalists and cause political instability, the daily quoted a foreign ministry official as saying.

Japan imposed sanctions, including a freeze on new non-humanitarian grants and loans, after India and Pakistan carried out a series of nuclear tests in May 1998.

An LDP official said in late May the party would call on the government to lift the sanctions. Previously, Tokyo had demanded India and Pakistan sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty if they wanted the sanction to be removed.

According to Japanese media reports Mori will tour India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in late August. But a foreign ministry official said no concrete decision had been made, both on the trip and the sanctions.

Back to top
©AFP 2000 All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed. All reproduction or redistribution is expressly forbidden without the prior written agreement of AFP.

Tell us what you think of this report

HOME | NEWS | MONEY | SPORTS | MOVIES | CHAT | INFOTECH | TRAVEL
SINGLES | NEWSLINKS | BOOK SHOP | MUSIC SHOP | GIFT SHOP | HOTEL BOOKINGS
AIR/RAIL | WEATHER | MILLENNIUM | BROADBAND | E-CARDS | EDUCATION
HOMEPAGES | FREE EMAIL | CONTESTS | FEEDBACK