Clinton sorry over Hosakawa resignation

Clinton sorry over Hosakawa resignation

MINNEAPOLIS (Agencies): President Clinton was sorry to hear of the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, the White House said yesterday.

Hosokawa announced early yesterday that he was resigning to take responsibility for a flap over controversial personal loans that has paralyzed parliament.

"The president has been informed and is sorry to hear the news of the resignation," White House spokeswoman Ginny Terzano said.

"The president has enjoyed a good and candid relationship," with the prime minister, she said, reading from a statement. Terzano said Clinton and Hosokawa had worked together successfully on many issues.

She added that Clinton, who had not spoken to Hosokawa about the resignation, looked forward to working with the Japanese leader's successor.

Clinton, beset with his own problems over a controversial investment by his family in a failed Arkansas land deal, is in Minneapolis as part of a campaign to sell his health care reform plan.

In Jakarta, Indonesia expressed its hopes that Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa's resignation will not affect economic relations between the two countries.

"We always monitor political developments in Japan and hope that the good relations between the two countries will not be disturbed because of Prime Minister Hosokawa's resignation, especially economic relations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Irawan Abidin said in a brief statement.

He added that Indonesia also hopes Japan will continue to support and participate in the next Asia-Pacific Economic Forum in November, to be held in Indonesia.

Indonesian State Secretary Moerdiono expressed his surprise at Hosokawa's resignation.

"I'm very surprised," he told reporters at the State Palace.

AFP, quoting the presidential spokesman, reported from Seoul that South Korean President Kim Young-Sam will telephone former Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa yesterday to "reaffirm his personal friendship and trust".

The South Korean President, who made a state visit to Japan last month and has been in constant consultation with Hosokawa over the North Korean nuclear impasse, would make the personal call at about 6 p.m. (09:00 GMT), his spokesman said.

The first

Kim was the first foreign head of state to congratulate Hosokawa when he scraped through a close no-confidence vote on a compromise with the Liberal Democrats.

In Beijing, China said yesterday it hoped relations with Japan would continue to develop "steadily and soundly" despite Hosokawa's resignation.

"Prime Minister Hosokawa has made precious efforts for promoting the development of friendly relations between China and Japan," said a foreign ministry spokeswoman, adding that the announcement of his resignation yesterday was Japan's "internal affair."

"We hope that Sino-Japanese relations will continue steadily and soundly," she said.

Eight months after coming to power as an anti-graft crusader, Hosokawa announced his resignation Friday amid persistent charges that he received a dubious loan and made questionable stock transactions.

Hosokawa said at a news conference that he was resigning because of an unidentified "legal problem."