BEIJING, Oct. 30 -- The United States and Japan agreed on Saturday to step up military cooperation and substantially reduce the number of US marines on the southern island of Okinawa.

    The agreement calls for the phased withdrawal of seven thousand marines from Okinawa to the Pacific island of Guam, a move that was expected to take six years.

    US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced the agreement after talks involving US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Japanese Defence Minister Yoshinori Ono and Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machinmura.

    "We have agreed to findings and recommendations that will strengthen the capabilities that the alliance requires to meet those common strategic objectives." Rumsfeld said.

    There are 14-thousand US marines in Japan, the largest marine contingent based overseas. Nearly all are located on Okinawa.

    However, Okinawans have long complained of crime, crowding and noise associated with the marine bases.

    During the news conference, Rice commented on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for Israel to be destroyed.

    "It only demonstrates why we are working so hard to keep Iran from getting technologies that would lead to a nuclear weapon under cover of civilian nuclear power, why we are working so hard to remind the world that Iran is the most important state sponsor of terrorism and why people should never forget why the Iranian people live without freedom and without the prospect of freedom because an unelected few are denying them that.¡± Rice said.

    Meanwhile, Iran's foreign minister has insisted that his government had no intention of attacking Israel.

    
    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)