Japanese Foreign minister Taro Kono reiterated, Monday in Rabat, his country's stance on the Sahara issue, saying that Japan does not recognize the pseudo «SADR» as a state. The Japanese official was speaking at a press briefing after his meetings with minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita. He reiterated a position clearly expressed at the ministerial preparatory meeting for the 7th Summit of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), held on October 5-7 in the Japanese capital. The presence of the pseudo «SADR» at a ministerial preparatory meeting for TICAD VII, «in no way means that Japan recognizes, implicitly or explicitly», this group as a State, stressed Taro Kono, currently on an official visit to Morocco. For his part, Bourita said that Morocco and Japan have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in order to avoid any damage to bilateral relations, particularly during the coming year, given the meetings planned in Japan. The minister stressed the need to preserve these ties against «any element that could weaken the foundations on which they are based», expressing confidence that if Morocco and Japan cooperate in a framework of friendship and partnership, they will be able to overcome all difficulties.
