Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson agreed Friday that "all options" remain open to resolve the crisis in Iraq, but Obuchi remained ambiguous about whether Japan will fully support military strikes to end the standoff.
"Japan shared the view of the United States that a diplomatic solution, based on full Iraqi compliance with all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, is the best solution, and that all options remain on the table," Obuchi and Richardson said in a joint statement read by both to the press after their meeting. Obuchi read the Japanese version and Richardson read the English.
They also shared the view that a diplomatic solution be reached quickly because "time is running short." Richardson came to Japan as an envoy of President Bill Clinton to discuss the crisis with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, Obuchi and Japanese government officials.