Russia rejects Japan's claim on island

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, MAY 14. Russia has rebuffed Japan's renewed claim of four Kurile Islands, but confirmed its readiness to consider handing over two of the four disputed isles.

The Russian Foreign Ministry denied Moscow had ever agreed to discuss the fate of all the four islands claimed by Japan. At the same time, the Ministry reiterated Moscow's consent to hand over two smaller islands after signing a peace treaty with Japan. Russia and Japan are yet to sign a full-fledged treaty ending their enmity in World War II.

The former Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Yoshiro Mori, said on Sunday that during his meeting with the Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin, in Irkutsk in March Moscow and Tokyo had basically agreed to launch talks on the return of Shikotan island and the Habomai islets with separate negotiations started for the larger Kunashiri and Etorofu islands.

``No agreement was ever reached to conduct separate consultations on terms of handing over the Smaller Kurile Chain (Shikotan and Habomai) and on the fate of the Kunashiri and Etorofu,'' said the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement on Monday. It recalled that the sides had agreed to pursue talks on the basis of the 1956 declaration, in which the former Soviet Union voiced ``readiness to hand over to Japan the Smaller Kurile Chain after a peace treaty has been signed''.

The statement appeared to have been issued in response to a hardening of Japan's stand on the disputed islands under the newly elected Prime Minister, Mr. Junichiro Koizumi.

In a letter to the Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin, brought to Moscow by a group of Japanese MPs, Mr. Koizumi made it clear Russia must recognise Japan's claim to all the four disputed islands, known as Northern Territories in Japan, before a bilateral peace treaty is signed.

The previous Japanese government was inclined to signing an interim peace pact with Russia after getting two smaller Kurile Islands. Even this possible concession to Japan is meeting strong resistance in Russia.

The Lower House Speaker, Mr. Gennady Seleznyov, has ruled out ceding any Russian territory to Japan.

``There can be no question of recarving borders,'' Mr. Seleznyov told a press conference on Monday. The handing over of disputed islands to Japan would create an unwelcome precedent.

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Section  : International
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