Askar DARIMBET
ALMATY, May 6 (THE GLOBE)
�The main reason for the low level of Japanese investments to Kazakhstan is that the Japanese people foresaw the numerous problems which could arise during the realization of the investment projects,� the Japanese Ambassador to Kazakhstan announced in Almaty on May 6.
Hidekata Mitsuhasi said that since 1994 the total volume of Japanese investments have been only about US$ 5 million. The ambassador explained the reason for such a low amount is that the economic branches that have rapidly grown in Kazakhstan (oil and mining industries) are insufficiently developed in Japan. (Compare: USA investments to Kazakhstan are US$ 1.9 billion).
According to the Ambassador, Japan is eager to cooperate at the governmental level and Japanese businessmen closely watch such contacts between the two countries.
Mr. Mitsuhasi said that at present, the possibility of a credit to Kazakhstan�s light industry is being considered in Tokyo. However, there are some disputable aspects provoking some questions from the Japanese side.
The objective of allocating a soft credit in his opinion, is not gaining profits or indirectly connected with profits At present the two countries are going to realize three project regarding allotment of credits.
According to the Ambassador, for such an enormous territory as Kazakhstan the development of the transport infrastructure is of great importance. This explains the active interest of the Japanese government in this sphere of the republic�s economy. At the same time, the Ambassador remarked that both countries are interested in not only long-term, but also short-term contracts.
Hidekata Mitsuhasi added that the devaluation of tenge begun on April 5 has negatively influenced the activity of the Japanese companies working in the Kazakhstan market. After the fall of the national currency, the prices of Japanese products rose, and hence the demand for these products fell.
According to Mr. Mitsuhasi, the Asian crisis negatively influenced the economy of the land of the rising sun, as 30% of its commodity turnover is with Asian countries. This crisis coincided with the industrial stagnation in Japan. The main problem of the economic system in Japan is that it is getting old and requires changes, especially the vulnerable banking system, where the reforms are being conducted too slowly.
The joint statement is unlikely to mention NATO or go into details of the international force, according to the Times.
Late Wednesday NBC television news reported that a plan worked out with Russia would grant Kosovo autonomy, but leave it under Yugoslav control.
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic would withdraw the bulk of his armed forces from the province, and peace would be enforced by 60,000 international soldiers that would include a strong NATO component.
There was, however, no certainty that Milosevic would accept the peace deal, US officials told the news organizations.
German officials warned the Times not to expect any diplomatic breakthroughs in the next day.
Yugoslav officials have already rejected many parts of the plan, senior US officials and diplomats told NBC, and there is no guarantee that Milosevic would agree to it even if the plan has Russian support.
WASHINGTON, May 6 (AFP)
Top NATO officials have reached an agreement with Russian negotiators on a postwar plan for Kosovo and intend to issue a joint statement later in the day, US news reports indicated Thursday.
The Washington Post reported that Russian peace envoy Victor Chernomyrdin agreed in talks with US President Bill Clinton in Washington that the Kosovar Albanian refugees will not go home if they are not protected by an international military force. Russia and Yugoslavia had previously opposed such a force. The draft of a joint Russian-NATO statement � scheduled to be issued later in the day after a meeting in Bonn of G-8 foreign ministers � has both sides agreeing that a still-undetermined international body will govern Kosovo on an �interim� basis when the NATO air war ends.
Russia agreed with NATO that a UN-controlled �international civil and security presence� was needed to enter Kosovo after Serbian forces leave the province, a senior German official told the New York Times.
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