Global Policy Forum

By Shingo Ito

Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder agreed Wednesday to form a united front to take the lead in UN reforms and global trade talks, an official said.

Mori arrived in Berlin for a four-hour stopover as he continued a whirlwind world tour to meet his Group of Eight partners before he hosts the G8 summit on July 21-23 in the southern island of Okinawa.

"It is necessary to back the trend of expanding permanent and non-pernament seats of the UN Security Council," Mori told Schroeder, according to the Japanese official. "I want to cooperate with Germany to reform the UN Security Council at a time when the UN millennium summit will take place," the Japanese prime minister said. Shroeder replied: "Germany and Japan share the same approach in terms of UN reforms."

Japan and Germany want permanent seats on the UN Security Council to reflect their economic might. The seats, which carry the power of veto, are now occupied by Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

The two also agreed to work together to launch the World Trade Organisation's millennium round of free trade talks as soon as possible, the official said. "It is necessary to ... start the new round swiftly," Schroeder said. Mori said: "I would like to continue cooperating with Germany to launch the new round as quickly as possible." Major trading nations are still divided over conditions to begin the new round of global trade talks.

It is Mori's first overseas trip since he succeeded Keizo Obuchi on April 5. The former Japanese leader is still in a coma after suffering a stroke.

During the meeting, Mori and Schroeder agreed that information technology would be high on the agenda of the summit in a global effort to bridge the "digital divide," the official said. "I agree that the issue of information technology will be a key point during the summit," Schroeder said. Mori said world powers should bridge the gap between those with access to the information age of the Internet and those without.

G8 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

Apart from the digital divide issue, Schroeder proposed discussing the poorest nations' debt and preventive measures against regional conflicts during this year's summit, the official said. In Paris, Mori met French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin separately on Tuesday, and agreed to highlight the digital divide issue at the planned summit.

During the Tuesday meeting with Italian counterpart Giuliano Amato in Rome, Mori agreed to back each other's bid to gain a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Mori, who had also met President-elect Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg during the weekend, was due to fly in London to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Late Wednesday, Mori will head across the Atlantic to meet Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, before concluding the tour in Washington with US President Bill Clinton. Mori is to return home on Friday.

Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori arrived in Berlin on Wednesday to hold his first talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, an official said. Mori flew in from Paris where he had meetings with French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin on Tuesday.

The Japanese premier is making a nine-day trip to meet world leaders before he hosts this year's summit of the Group of Eight (G8) major countries in the southern island of Okinawa. Mori, who has also already met Russian and Italian leaders, is scheduled to head to London Wednesday afternoon for talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.