Japan promised El Salvador on Wednesday that it will dispatch a fact-finding mission to determine projects suitable for the extension of yen-denominated loans, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Foreign Minister Yohei Kono made the commitments during separate talks with El Salvadoran Foreign Minister Maria Brizuela, who arrived here Monday on a six-day visit, the official told reporters.
Brizuela called for Japanese aid for a "high-priority" project to rehabilitate a seaport, the official said.
Obuchi and Kono praised El Salvador for attaining economic growth and promoting national reconciliation under a peace agreement reached in 1991 that ended the nation's internal strife, the official said.
Obuchi described the El Salvador peace process as a "model case" in Latin America and reiterated Japan's commitment to supporting the country with economic assistance.