GUAM Delegate Madeleine Bordallo is warning three influential U.S. senators not to overstep their boundaries regarding the release of revisions to the 2006 U.S.-Japan Realignment.
“I would caution the Senate to tread carefully on issues that are within the jurisdiction of the Japanese government and that are more appropriate for them to answer due to their own domestic politics,” Bordallo said.
U.S. Sens. Carl Levin, John McCain and Jim Webb on Wednesday wrote to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, raising concerns about the costs and strategy of the 2006 Agreed Implementation Plan for the realignment of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
The letter to Panetta has caused the release of the agreement to be pushed back after Japan announced it would postpone the announcement of the plan after the lawmakers’ objections.
Dissatisfaction
Levin, McCain and Webb, all members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed dissatisfaction with buildup negotiations, the relocation of troops from Okinawa to Guam, and the decision to delink this part of the realignment from the resolution of a Futenma Replacement Facility.
“This setback, although temporary, is another repercussion of the Senate’s continued second-guessing of the realignment strategy and should serve as a reminder of why we must act with a unified and strong ‘One Guam’ voice,” Bordallo said.
In fact, Bordallo said, the revised agreement reflects comprehensive negotiations between the U.S. government and the government of Japan that were based on responses to concerns raised by the U.S. Senate.
Bordallo urged the Department of Defense, Department of State, and other administration officials to show leadership on the matter.
“We must not lose focus on the greater goal of these realignments that are driven by an Asia-Pacific strategy that will ensure our national security and the security of our ally, Japan,” she said.
The letter and delay comes ahead of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s visit to Washington D.C. and his meeting with President Barack Obama on April 30.
Comments
I guess the fact that Webb served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs and later Secretary of the Navy makes him less qualified than someone living 1500 miles from Japan.
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