Cable No. 703 from Ambassador Obara Takeshi (Oman) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 'The Prime Minister’s Visit to the Middle East (Talk With Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah)'

Secret

Telegraphic Copy                                            [blacked out]               04-032

The Prime Minister’s Visit to the Middle East (Talk With Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah)

No. 703                       Secret              Top Urgent                  [blacked out]

On October 7, Prime Minister Kaifu had a talk with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, for approximately 30 minutes, from 1:15 in the afternoon. Following is a summary of the meeting’s main points. (Attending the meeting from our side were Owada Hisashi, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs; Watanabe Makoto, Director, Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau; Kowata Shoshichi, Director, Economic Cooperation Bureau; Hatakeyama Noboru, Director, International Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of International Trade and Industry; Maki Otaro, Director, Coordination Bureau, Economic Planning Agency; Chino Tadao, Director, International Finance Bureau, Ministry of Finance; Takenaka Shigeo, Director-General for Press and Public Diplomacy; Ebihara Shin, Director, First Middle East Division; and others. Interpreter: Miyamaoto Masayuki）

1. At the outset, Crown Prince Abdullah again welcomed the Prime Minister on his visit and said that he hoped for the further development of relations between Japan and Saudi Arabia.

2. In reply, Prime Minister Kaifu said the following:

Relations between Japan and Saudi Arabia have been friendly to date. I appreciate in particular that your country has maintained a constructive oil policy and given Japan a stable supply of oil. I would like to continue advancing relations of mutual dependence between our two countries. This visit has been for a very short period of time, but I spoke yesterday with King Fahd in regard to the situation in the Gulf and I have met Your Excellency, so it has been a very fruitful visit.

３．Crown Prince Abdullah said that Japanese companies were playing a great role in the development of Saudi Arabia and that he hoped that they advanced further in the country.

4. In reply, the Prime Minister said that, after returning to Japan, he would like to convey the wish of His Excellency the Crown Prince to Japanese companies. He also said that he hoped that the Gulf’s peace and stability would be restored as soon as possible and that Saudi Arabia would have stability and prosperity. The Prime Minister also said that Japan strongly supported Saudi Arabia’s position.

5. Crown Prince Abdullah asked about the meeting with Iraqi First Deputy Prime Minister Ramadan, so the Prime Minister said the following:

First Deputy Prime Minister Ramadan presented his side’s case. I urged Iraq to make the decision to withdraw from Kuwait, restore Kuwait’s legitimate government, and to let all the foreigners there leave Kuwait. However, we were far apart in our discussion.

Crown Prince Abdullah: Did he argue that Iraq was right?

Prime Minister Kaifu: His argument was that Kuwait was historically part of Iraq and that his assertion was right.

Crown Prince Abdullah: He is simply crazy.

6. At the end, Crown Prince Abdullah handed over a document regarding the wish from the Saudi side concerning the activities of Japanese corporations in Saudi Arabia. The Prime Minister said that he would take the document back to Japan and consider it. With that, the meeting ended.

Passed to diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, the United States, and the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. (End)