TOKYO, October 19, SPA -- Washington wants Japan to renew a mission to refuel coalition ships in the Indian Ocean as part ofOperation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Prime MinisterYasuo Fukuda said Friday. U.S. officials have repeatedly pressed Japan in recentweeks to extend the mission. Legislation enabling itexpires Nov. 1. Japanese officials have acknowledged, however, that a billto extend it is unlikely to gain approval by the Diet _Japan's parliament _ before the deadline, and that a gap inJapan's activities is inevitable, the Associated Press reported. Meeting with the premier in his office Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer expressed Washington'sdesire to see the operation renewed, Fukuda told reportersFriday evening. «I explained to him that we are now in the process ofmaking new legislation, but there may be a temporaryinterruption of refueling activities,» Fukuda said. Japan's parliament is in gridlock over a newanti-terrorism bill that would extend the refueling missionin the Indian Ocean for a year. Tokyo dispatched ships tothe region in 2001 under an old bill, which has beenextended three times but runs out Nov. 1. A new law submitted Wednesday by the ruling coalitionlimits the scope of Japan's activities in the region, inhopes of mollifying a resurgent opposition, which arguesthat the mission involves Tokyo too deeply in militaryoperations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill would limit Japanese ships to refueling andsupplying water to ships on anti-terrorism patrols, butdoes not allow them to refuel vessels involved in militaryoperations, such as attacks. But opposition bloc has refused to cooperate, threateningto reject the bill in the parliament's upper house, whichthe bloc controls. The ruling coalition, which holds the lower chamber, canultimately overrule an upper house rejection. Parliamentaryproceedings are expected to spill into November, however.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/491495