The United States will not offer a new proposal to revive talks with Japan over the relocation of the U.S. military's Futenma air base, a senior official said Wednesday.
The relocation will be delayed substantially if Tokyo sticks to Okinawa's demand for a 15-year limit on the military's use of a new airport for the base's helicopter operations, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The official said settlement of the Futenma issue before the July 21-23 Group of Eight summit in the prefecture was virtually impossible.
U.S. President Bill Clinton has said he wants to see the Futenma issue settled before the Okinawa conference.