A long-delayed trip to Asia by US Vice-President Dick Cheney has been overshadowed by a spreading hostage crisis in Iraq.
In Tokyo yesterday, Mr Cheney praised Japan for standing up to the Iraqi militiamen who have threatened to burn three captured Japanese alive unless Tokyo begins withdrawing troops from southern Iraq. The deadline for the release of the hostages passed yesterday morning without any news of their fate.
Meanwhile, China, Mr Cheney's next destination, called for the release of seven of its nationals who were abducted by armed men in central Iraq on Sunday.
The abducted Chinese were on their way to Baghdad from Jordan and are thought to have been seized near Falluja, the scene of heavy fighting between US forces and Iraqi insurgents.
The Chinese foreign ministry had put together a team of diplomats, led by the country's ambassador to Iraq, Mr Sun Bigan, to co-ordinate rescue efforts, the ministry said. "Party and state leaders are very concerned about this and have already ordered the foreign ministry and relevant embassies overseas to take up rescue work urgently so as to secure early freedom for our hostages," the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, said.
After a meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Junichiro Koizumi, Mr Cheney said: "We wholeheartedly support the position the prime minister has taken with respect to the question of Japanese hostages."
He added: "We especially appreciate Japan's role in helping with the global war on terror . . . and the fact that they've taken on significant responsibilities in those endeavours."
Mr Koizumi, who is facing his most severe political test since taking office in 2001, reiterated his refusal to pull out 550 troops stationed in Iraq, ignoring a flurry of demonstrations demanding a withdrawal.
His defiant stand came amid conflicting reports about the fate of the three Japanese hostages. On Sunday, the foreign ministry said it was hopeful that they would be freed within 24 hours, but the deadline passed with no news of their release.
The hostage crisis has shocked Japan, which has had no experience of armed conflict since the second World War. Although yesterday was an official press holiday, several newspapers put out special editions.
A report on Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based TV station, said that the kidnappers had reinstated a threat to kill the hostages unless Japanese troops began withdrawing. Japanese officials questioned the reliability of such reports.
A senior US administration official praised the resolve of Japan's cabinet, saying it was vital that the alliance in Iraq held together until the planned transfer of sovereignty on June 30th. "What [Iraqi insurgents] have clearly done through intimidation, threats and, in some cases, the actual application of violence is to try to alter the policies of governments," the official said.
"It's important that they not be allowed to do that."
- (Financial Times)