GMA puts off trip to Saudi

President Arroyo’s planned visit to Saudi Arabia on Sept. 10 and 11 has been postponed to a later date, Malacañang said yesterday.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said there was a problem with the schedules of Mrs. Arroyo and King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and that the Department of Foreign Affairs would set a new date for the visit.

He added the country’s political crisis had nothing to do with the postponement of Mrs. Arroyo’s trip, as she would still attend the United Nations General Assembly and preside over the UN Security Council in New York on Sept. 12-14.

Bunye said Malacañang hopes the impeachment issue will be settled by the time Mrs. Arroyo leaves for the United States.

Mrs. Arroyo is expecting a favorable decision from the plenary, much like that of the House of Representatives committee on justice which ruled the impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Oliver Lozano against her should be dismissed for insufficiency in form and substance, he added.

On the other hand, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said yesterday in a statement the DFA and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue discussions on the dates, program and content of the Mrs. Arroyo’s visit.

"This is an important visit," he said. "We are honored by the kind invitation for our President to visit the Kingdom."

Romulo said that for the visit to be truly successful, both countries have to work diligently and agree on dates that would ensure that Filipino and Saudi leaders and officials will have the "best opportunities" to meet and discuss issues of concern to them.

"We had tentatively set the visit for Sept. 10 to 11 or immediately before the President proceeds to New York for the United Nations summit," he said.

"However, discussions continue on the schedule of the visit as we hope to settle upon the best time for our leaders to meet."

Romulo said an official announcement on the dates of the visit will be made once discussions through diplomatic channels are completed.

"The additional time will give us more opportunity to finalize the agreements that hope to conclude with the Saudi government, including one that is aimed at further strengthening our cooperation on energy security," he said.

Romulo said Filipino and Saudi officials will also continue to work on the substance and content of the visit to ensure the best possible outcome.

"Also during this time, we will be able to do additional work on areas of cooperation, particularly in counter-terrorism and the protection of the safety and welfare of our nationals in the (Saudi) Kingdom," he said.

The Philippines is expecting the visit of several high government officials from Saudi Arabia for further discussions on enhancing bilateral cooperation, Romulo said.

Diplomatic sources said Saudi Arabia had informed the Philippines that King Abdullah "would be in the province" during Mrs. Arroyo’s visit to the world’s largest oil exporter scheduled on Sept. 10.

Lozano’s impeachment complaint alleged that Mrs. Arroyo betrayed the public trust by cheating in last year’s presidential election.

The opposition and other critics vowed to hold massive street protests if the impeachment complaint is killed, but Malacañang appealed to the public to respect the rule of law and the democratic process.

Lawmakers are set to vote on Mrs. Arroyo’s impeachment either today or tomorrow. — Aurea Calica, Pia Lee-Brago