Hillary commends Japan PM for decision on US base

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INDIA: Indian labourers and engineers hoist material into position on a construction site of Gujarat International Finance Tec City (GIFT City) on the outskirts of Gandhinagar, some 30 kilometres from Ahmedabad Friday. The construction on a 3.58 square ki

BEIJING, May 24 (AFP): US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday commended as courageous a decision by Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to keep an unpopular US military base in Okinawa prefecture.
"I want to commend Prime Minister Hatoyama for making the difficult but nevertheless correct decision to relocate the Futenma facility inside Okinawa," Clinton told reporters in China, where she is taking part in high-level talks.
"As a former politician, I know how hard Prime Minister Hatoyama's decision was and I thank him for his courage and determination to fulfil his commitments."
Meanwhile, AP from Beijing adds: Clinton said Monday that North Korea's sinking of a South Korean warship has created a 'highly precarious' security situation in the region and that the Obama administration is working to prevent an escalation of tension that could lead to conflict.
Speaking to reporters in Beijing shortly after the White House issued a statement offering Washington's full and unequivocal support for Seoul, Clinton said all of North Korea's neighbors, including its chief ally China, understand the seriousness of the matter and want to "contain" it.
"We are working hard to avoid an escalation of belligerence and provocation," Clinton said. "This is a highly precarious situation that the North Koreans have caused in the region."
The US will work with other nations to see that North Korea feels the consequences of its actions and changes its behavior to avoid "the kind of escalation that would be very regrettable," she said.