Ministerial-level officials from five former Soviet republics in Central Asia will meet in Sapporo, probably early next month, for what Japan hopes will be the last round of negotiations on a treaty creating a nuclear weapons-free zone in the region.
The United Nations-sponsored negotiations among Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are likely to be held for four days starting April 3, although the date has not yet been finalized, government sources said Wednesday.
The sources said Japan strongly hopes that the five Central Asian countries will reach a final agreement on the nonnuclear treaty in the forthcoming round of negotiations so it will give a favorable impetus to efforts to achieve a successful conclusion of a high-profile international conference on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.