British-Japanese agreement on the need to implement Wye river agreement

Britain and Japan on Wednesday underlined the importance of implementing the Wye River agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis without imposing any new conditions.

This was expressed during the talks held in London on Wednesday between Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura with his British counterpart Robin Cook before the former headed to the Middle East for a tour that will cover Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Israel.

The two ministers also stressed the importance of supporting and encouraging other main parties concerned with the Middle East peace process, especially Jordan.

Concerning Iraq, the British Foreign Ministry said that the two ministers held identical positions on the need to continue further international pressure on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to carry out his obligations towards the UN.

Komura and Cook at the same time indicated the need to back international efforts to meet the humanitarian requirements of the Iraqi people. Comments from the two ministers came following the recent escalation between Iraq and the US and Britain.