Japan, Caribbean nations seek to boost bilateral co-op, tackle int'l issues

Japan and 13 member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), agreed on Thursday to make joint moves towards tackling global warming and offering support to Haiti, still reeling from a massive earthquake that struck in January.

In the first such meeting between Japan and the Caribbean nations in more than a decade Japan pledged to support new business development in countries still suffering from a prolonged period of economic downturn, which has seen the tourist industry and financial sectors suffer.

Japan said it will launch a public-private joint economic mission to discover ways these sectors can be boosted.

Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada encouraged the Caribbean nations to endorse the Copenhagen Accord and the Caribbean nations conceded they have already felt the adverse affects of global warming, including rising temperature and more frequent hurricanes, and called for financial aid to deal with natural disasters.

CARICOM is represented by Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The first meeting between Japan and the Caribbean nations were held in November 2000.

Japan through its good will gestures and cooperative attitude towards the Caribbean nations hopes to win their support for Japan 's bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and gain understanding from the nations about Japan's whaling operations and efforts towards creating a non-nuclear world, sources close to the matter said.

In addition, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) nuclear ambitions were discussed at the meeting, a spokesperson said.

Source: Xinhua