Italy and Iran separately urged Japan on Wednesday to exercise its influence in coordinating international efforts to draw up a truce in Gaza and Tokyo promised to play an active role, including in contributing to humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians, Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini initiated a 25-minute phone call with his Japanese counterpart Hirofumi Nakasone, during which they agreed to cooperate and coordinate humanitarian aid efforts among the Group of Eight countries. Italy succeeded Japan in assuming the annual G-8 presidency this year. Later in the evening, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki called Nakasone and stressed the urgent need for Israel to halt its attacks on the Gaza Strip, noting the important role Japan can play given its current membership of the U.N. Security Council, the officials said.
In response, Nakasone requested that Iran also play a ‘‘constructive role’’ on its part to help resolve the crisis.
Since the latest outbreak of violence, Japan has repeatedly called on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides to immediately halt the use of force and has pledged to continue its assistance to the Palestinian people, including around $10 million worth of emergency aid for the Gaza Strip, in view of the situation.
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