Letter, Yasuhiro Nakasone, Prime Minister of Japan, to Hafez al-Assad, President of the Syrian Arab Republic

Office of the Prime Minister

Tokyo

Translation

August 2, 1985

Excellency,

It is my great pleasure to express my deep appreciation for the cordial hospitality extended to Foreign Minister Abe by Your Excellency and your Government and people during his recent visit to your country and my satisfaction at the development of our bilateral relations, to which his visit has made a great contribution.

It is a matter for our mutual congratulation that the relations between our two countries have become so close at such a rapid pace during the past six months, especially with the fruitful exchange of visits by our Foreign Ministers Shara and Abe.

I am happy to convey to Your Excellency my firm determination to see, with Your Excellency's cooperation, that the relations between our two countries are further promoted in many fields including economic and technical cooperation, by an effective follow-up of our achievement, which has been realized during Foreign Minister Abe's visit to your country in the form of the conclusion of the Technical Cooperation Agreement and the establishment of the working-level Joint Committee.

Having received a detailed report from Foreign Minister Abe on the views of Your Excellency and Foreign Minister Shara on the issue of peace in the Middle East, I am fully informed of your position toward this problem. I have always been keenly interested in the peace and stability of the Middle East and wish to continue a full exchange of views with your country, which holds a key to the solution of this problem.

In the meantime, the international sitution [SIC; situation] is taking a significant turn, with the U.S.-Soviet summit meeting scheduled for this autumn and the Tokyo Summit of next year, for which Japan is making preparations as the host country.

Against this background, I am hoping to have an in-depth exchange of views with leaders of various countries when I attend the U.N. General Assembly this autumn on the international situation, including the issue of peace in the Middle East, on the basis of the exchange of views with your country as above-mentioned.

I also wish to convey to Your Excellency the high esteem in which the Government and people of Japan hold your country for its painstaking humanitarian efforts to realize the release of the Americans taken hostage at the time of the highjacking [SIC; hijacking] of the TWA plane. I have been infomred [SIC; informed] by Foreign Minister Abe that your country is exerting its utmost efforts for the release of the seven American hostages still held in Lebanon, and I cannot help expressing my sincere appreciation for such efforts of your country.

I am fully aware that there are a number of difficulties in the way of the release of the foreigners, including the seven Americans, who have been taken hostage in Lebanon. But my country hopes, from a humanitarian point of view, that their release will be realized as soon as possible and that Your Excellency's effort and leadership will prove effective in bringing about that outcome.

With these matters in mind, I attach great importance to the strengthening of the relations between our two countries in many fields including economic and technical cooperation and to the continuing exchange of views between us on such problems as peace in the Middle East and international terrorism.

I have the honour to inform Your Excellency that I have decided to dispatch to your country Ambassador Yoshihiro Nakayama, a trusted friend of mine well versed in the Middle East affairs and I should be very grateful if Your Excellency would be good enough to receive him for a significant exchange of views with him.

For further development of friendly and cooperative relations between our two countries, I wish most earnestly Your Excellency would pay a visit to Japan in the near future. Accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration and my best wishes for your continued good health and the lasting prosperity of your people.

Yasuhiro Nakasone Prime Minister of Japan

His Excellency Hafez Al-Assad President of the Syrian Arab Republic