以下の報道はご存じのとおりですが、そのやり取りの正確な記録を転載します。
この日のブリーフィングで普天間関連部分を抜き出しました。質問したのはテレ
ビ朝日でした。
>◆米、使用期限１５年受け入れ困難
>
> ベーコン米国防総省報道官は２２日、外国人記者団と会見し、沖縄県が
> 米軍普天間飛行場の移設候補地をキャンプ・シュワブ地域（名護市）と決
> めたことについて「日米特別行動委員会（ＳＡＣＯ）合意の実現に向けた非
> 常に重要な一歩だ」と歓迎の意を示した。ただ、稲嶺恵一同県知事が求め
> る米軍の使用期限１５年については「われわれは米軍の沖縄駐留期限を
> 設けることを望んでいない」と述べ、受け入れ困難との立場を示した。（時
> 事）
>
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DoD News Briefing
Monday, November 22, 1999 - 1:05 p.m. EST
Presenter: Mr. Kenneth H. Bacon, ASD PA
U.S. State Department Foreign Press Center Briefing
QI'm Satoru Suzuki of TV Asahi of Japan. As you can see, you have many
representatives from many Japanese news organizations here today to
get
your comment on the latest development in Okinawa. Do you have anything
to say about Governor Inamine's formal announcement earlier today to
relocate the Futenma Air Station of the U.S. Marines to the city of
Nago,
the venue of the next G-8 summit? What's the next step for the two
governments to take?
MR. BACON: Well, first of all, this is a very important step in the
SACO
process, and as you and I have discussed in the past, this is something
that has to be worked out by the government of Japan and the government
of the United States eventually. We are waiting for Japan to come
forward with a plan that is acceptable to the people of Okinawa and
to
the government of Japan. My understanding is that this is a very
important first step, but it's not a final step, because there are
still
negotiations and discussions necessary between the governor of Okinawa
and the mayor of Nago City. There are still details that have to be
worked out. We're very hopeful that this can be worked out as quickly
as
possible and that the government of Japan will support a solution that
works both for the United States and for the people of Okinawa.
Q (Off mike.)
MR. BACON: Well, this is a proposal, but my understanding is there were
still details that have to be worked out in Okinawa and within Japan,
that this was announced by the governor today. I believe that the next
step are some discussions between the governor and the mayor of Nago
City; isn't that correct?
QYes.
MR. BACON: And I have read that there is some opposition within Nago
City to the solution, so that will have to be worked out by the governor
of Okinawa and the government of Japan. But this is certainly -- as
you
know, since the tragic event in Okinawa, the United States and Japan
have taken a number of steps to reduce the footprint of the Marines
in
Okinawa, and also to reduce the intrusiveness of the Marine training
in
Okinawa. And this involves giving some land back, it involves changing
the training routines, making them less noisy, less intrusive then
they
were in the past, and it also involves moving this Marine Corps Air
Station from Futenma. And there has been a search going on for more
than
a year for the right new location for the Marine Corps Air Station.
If
this works, it will be a very important step toward meeting the
obligations that the United States and the government of Japan agreed
to
as part of the SACO process.
MS. RANSOM: Your next question is right here.
MR. BACON: Yes?
QHi. I'm Carolyn Olsen, also with TV Asahi. I wanted to follow up on
that question, if I could. Back when the election was happening in
Okinawa, where Governor Inamine made some promises, some pledges that
he
would work for, he said that he wanted this new airport to be a dual-use
facility and also for a military use to be a maximum of 15 years. And
I'd like to ask you to comment on that. Do you think 15 years would
be
an acceptable time period? Or how does the U.S. respond to that?
MR. BACON: I think it's premature now to talk about time periods. We've
said that we would accept a dual-use airport if that would work for
the
people of Okinawa.
In terms of time, that has to be worked out between the two governments.
And we are obviously not looking for a limitation on our presence in
Okinawa right now. We think that the security umbrella, that's provided
in part by the U.S. troops deployed throughout Asia, is very important
to Japan and to the stability of all of Asia. But this this particular
issue is one that will have to be worked out specifically between the
two governments as time goes on.
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*********************
青木雅彦
Aoki Masahiko
btree@pop06.odn.ne.jp
*********************