日俄首腦會議與北方四島領土交渉

Recently the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

領土交渉「面積２等分で…」露大統領発言に憶測

ロシアのプーチン大統領が先月２９日の安倍首相との首脳会談で、過去にロシアが行った中国との領土交渉や、ノルウェーとの境界画定交渉に触れ、「面積を２等分して解決した経験がある」と述べていたことが分かった。

　政府筋が明らかにした。北方領土問題の解決を念頭に置いた発言か、４島返還を主張する日本をけん制したのか、様々な臆測を呼んでいる。

　これに関連し、安倍首相は１日、訪問先のサウジアラビアで同行記者団に、「（大統領が北方領土２等分による解決に言及した）事実はない。北方４島の帰属問題を解決し、平和条約を締結する方針に変わりはない」と語った。

　首相同行筋によると、首相の指摘通り、会談で大統領が両交渉の経緯を首相に説明した際、北方領土問題と絡めることは言わなかったという。仮に北方４島を面積で２等分した場合、４島の中で最も北側にある択捉島の西部に日露の国境線を引き、日本が択捉島の西側の一部と国後島、色丹島、歯舞群島の全部を領有し、択捉島の大半をロシアが領有する形が想定される。

（2013年5月1日19時07分 読売新聞）

(試譯文)

It turned out that at the summit meeting with Prime Minister Abe on the 29th last month Russian President Putin had touched on territorial negotiations and about the border drawing which Russia had performed in the past with China and Norway, and about "the experience of dividing the area equally into two to solve the problems".

This was clarified by government sources. Various guesses were called for, with solving the issue regarding the Northern Territories in mind, could it be used to check Japan which had asserted the return of the four islands.

      In relation to this, on the 1^st Prime Minister Abe told the press corps traveling together at the visiting location of Saudi Arabia that "it (that the President mentioned the solution for the Northern Territories was to divide them into two equal parts) is not true, the ownership question of four northern islands would be solved, and there was no change in plan to conclude a peace treaty."

      According to sources accompanying the Prime Minister, it was say that the Prime Minister had pointed out that when the President explained the circumstances of the negotiation, the latter had not said things related to the Northern Territories. When temporarily equally divided the four northern islands into two areas, it was assumed that the form would be to draw the Japan-Russia international border in the western part of Etorofu which was the northernmost of the four islands, Japan would possess a part of the west side of Etorofu and all of Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai islets; and that Russia would possess the great portion of Etorofu.

It is an interesting story. To divide the islands equally could be a possible solution to the dispute.