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Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi waves before boarding a plane at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo. (AP)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners July 11, 2006 |
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Japan on Tuesday decided to extend its mission in support of U.N. peacekeeping efforts in the Golan Heights for another six months, officials said.
The U.N. set up the force in 1974, following the 1973 Yom Kippur war, to monitor the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.
Japan's 45-member mission will stay in the region until at least March 31, 2007, Foreign Ministry official Toshihiro Baba said.
The Japanese mission, together with an Indian mission, has provided logistical assistance to the U.N. Disengagement Observer Force since Tokyo began contributing troops to the Golan Heights in 1996, Baba said.
The extension of Japan's mission follows a decision last month by the U.N. Security Council to extend UNDOF's activity at the Golan Heights for six months, Baba said.
Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi left on a trip to the Middle East, where he is expected to urge Israel and the Palestinians to engage in dialogue to resolve their conflict.
Koizumi left for Tel Aviv, his first stop, according to Toshiharu Takahashi, an official at Haneda Airport.
The Japanese leader was scheduled to arrive early Wednesday and meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert later in the day, Japan's Foreign Ministry said.
Koizumi's trip comes amid a violent stalemate between Israel and the Palestinians, triggered when militants captured an Israeli soldier late last month and Israel responded with a broad offensive in the Gaza Strip.
"Tension is increasing lately. Japan will ask for as much restraint as possible and look for ways to prevent the spiral of animosity and violence," he told reporters before leaving.
Former international Middle East peace envoy James Wolfensohn began a four-day visit to Japan on Monday to discuss peace in the Middle East and development issues.
Japan's Cabinet also decided to send an election-monitoring team to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly known as Zaire, for the African country's July 30 election -- the first democratic polls in the country in 40 years -- following the end of its civil war.
The eight-member team, sent at the request of the United Nations, will take part in the monitoring work from late July to early August, the ministry said.
The AP contributed to this report.
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