Powell: SOFA serving its purpose,
no need to make changes
By Fred Knapp, Zama bureau
chief
TOKYO — Secretary of State Colin Powell stressed the importance
of the U.S.-Japan relationship, but rejected major changes in an agreement that sometimes
troubles that relationship, during a stopover here.
“I very much wanted to be sure to visit Japan before I visited
anywhere else in Asia,” Powell said Tuesday during a news conference at the U.S.
Embassy before leaving for Vietnam, Korea, China and Australia.
Powell said his talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
underscored the importance of the security relationship between the two countries.
He also said their discussion “touched” on a June 29
incident on Okinawa, where Air Force Staff Sgt. Timothy Woodland is accused of raping an
Okinawan woman.
Some Japanese have been incensed that it took U.S. forces a week to
turn Woodland over to Japanese authorities, and have called for revising the Status of
Forces Agreement governing the treatment of U.S. Forces in Japan.
“We see no need to change the Status of Forces Agreement,”
Powell declared. “The Status of Forces Agreement seems to be serving its intended
purpose.”
Under SOFA, servicemembers charged with crimes are not turned over to
Japanese authorities before indictment. However, following the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old
girl by three servicemen, the U.S. agreed to “sympathetically review” handover
requests in cases such as rape and murder.
Woodland, who has maintained the sex was consensual, was turned over
July 6 but not indicted until July 19.
Powell said Ambassador Howard Baker would visit Okinawa in the next
few days, and the two countries will discuss ways to improve the way SOFA is implemented,
as opposed to changes in the agreement.
Koizumi has advocated discussing changes in SOFA’s
implementation. His government had no official reaction to Powell’s remarks Tuesday.
Powell also urged people to put the alleged rape in perspective,
saying most U.S. servicemembers in Japan live to a high standard.
He also said, “We understand the Okinawan people’s desire
for a reduced footprint,” referring to the size of the U.S. military presence there.
At the same time, Powell declared, “We must maintain a security
presence in Japan and in Okinawa,” to give “meaning” and “life”
to U.S. security guarantees.
Powell also commented on other matters, including:
Despite other nations’ agreement on measures to reduce global
warming, “The United States continues to view the Kyoto Protocol as a protocol we
cannot accede to and could not get ratified (by the Senate) if we did.”
The United States continues to support Koizumi’s economic
reform agenda. Powell declined to comment on the Japanese stock market reaching a 16-year
low.
Based on current reports, the elevation of Megawati Sukarnoputri
over deposed Indonesian President Adurrahman Wahid is not a “crisis,” but a
“peaceful transfer of power.”
Discussions with North Korea are occurring in New York, and the
United States will consult with Japan and South Korea on their progress. “I look
forward to engaging in discussions (with North Korea) at a higher level in due
course,” Powell said.
While he is “pleased” that China appears to be moving
toward resolving individual cases against Chinese-Americans accused of espionage, concerns
remain over China’s whole approach to human rights.
“I look forward to discussing human rights, economic and other
issues” in China, Powell said.
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