Palace welcomes Asean 'peace' call

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine government yesterday lauded the six fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that called for a peaceful resolution of the disputed Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea and adherence to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in resolving the issue.

“We welcome the multilateral call of the six ASEAN member-nations for a peaceful resolution. We all have a stake in peace and stability in the region,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in reaction to the call for peace of Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Singapore.

“That (diplomatic, peaceful tack) has been our country’s call and approach to this dispute in the West Philippine Sea,” he said in a statement.

The oil and gas-rich Spratly Islands is being claimed in whole and in part by the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan China, Vietnam and Malaysia.

ASEAN members Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Singapore arrived at the consensus during the 21st Meeting of States Parties to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea from June 13 to 17 at the UN headquarters in New York.

The Philippine Permanent Mission to the UN in New York also voiced during the meeting the country’s rejection of the inclusion of areas within Philippine jurisdiction in the dispute.

The six ASEAN countries stressed the need to maintain peace and security in the region.

ASEAN has 10 members. The three other member-countries are Brunei, Cambodia, and Myanmar (Burma).

“The rule of law is the bedrock of peace, order and fairness in modern societies. The rise of a rules-based international system has been the great equalizer in global affairs,” a statement from the Philippine mission read.

“Respect and adherence to international law have preserved peace and resolved conflicts. International law has given equal voice to nations regardless of political, economic or military stature, banishing the unlawful use of sheer force,” it said.

A statement delivered by Commission on Maritime and Ocean Affairs Secretariat (CMOAS) Secretary-General Henry Bensurto noted that “recent developments at the Recto Bank off Palawan have tended to broaden the concept of disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea to include even those waters and continental shelves that are clearly within the sovereignty and/or jurisdiction of the Philippines.”

“The Philippines firmly rejects any efforts in this regard. Such actions are inconsistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” Bensurto said.

“We expect nothing less from our international partners. In situations where disputes on maritime claims exist, UNCLOS provides clues as well as answers by which such maritime disputes could be addressed,” he said.

He also urged all parties to the ASEAN-China Declaration of Conduct in the South China Sea to faithfully abide by the provisions in the declaration, particularly on the need to “exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability.”

“The Declaration of Conduct expresses in a concrete way our collective goal for rules-based action by all concerned parties,” he added.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario met last Friday with the nine ambassadors and charges d’affaires of ASEAN member-states and briefed them on Philippine perspectives on recent developments in the West Philippine Sea.

Multilateral approach

A rules-based multilateral approach to resolving disputes over some areas in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea should not upset China, considering its own commitment to shun confrontation, Malacañang said Saturday.

“Our policy is to really have a rules-based, multilateral approach to the settlement of the dispute. What we advocate is for us to arrive at a peaceful resolution. We should really exhaust all diplomatic means,” deputy Palace spokesperson Abigail Valte said over state-run radio dzRB.

Valte said international laws like UNCLOS should be the basis for settling the territorial dispute.

“Our statements have always been very clear,” Valte said.

She also welcomed Australia’s call on parties involved in the territorial spat to adhere to international laws like UNCLOS.

Australia voiced its position through its top ministers in a joint statement with Philippine officials in the 3rd Philippine-Australia Ministerial Meeting in Canberra last Thursday.

President Aquino also insisted last week that the country won’t be bullied by China in the territorial spat over the Spratly Islands and that Beijing should stop intruding into Philippine waters.

Aquino also told the Associated Press that a government-backed mission to scout the West Philippine Sea for oil and gas had turned up “very good” prospects, though he declined to elaborate. He said the Philippines reserved the right to explore its waters despite China’s rival claims.

China, which claims the Spratlys and all other islands and reefs in the South China Sea, last week demanded that its southern neighbors stop any oil exploration there without Beijing’s permission.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao said, however, that China was open to joint exploration with other countries.

“We will not be pushed around because we are a tiny state compared with theirs,” Aquino said.

“We think we have very solid grounds to say ‘do not intrude into our territory’ and that is not a source of dispute or should not be a source of dispute,” the President said.

“We will continue with dialogues, but I think, for our internal affairs, we don’t have to ask anybody else’s permission,” he added.

Meanwhile, Vice President Jejomar Binay expressed optimism that the Spratly Islands dispute would not strain relations between Philippines and China.

“The Spratlys should not be a cause for conflict but we also should not let China’s actions go unchallenged,” Binay said.

The Philippine Navy recently dispatched its biggest battleship to patrol territorial waters around Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

The Navy deployed BRP Rajah Humabon after China sent its largest maritime patrol ship, which is reportedly passing the disputed areas of Paracels and the Spratly Islands.

“I believe we can settle this peacefully before it affects the good relations between the Philippines and China. The governments are talking to each other on the matter,” Binay said.

Vice Chairman Jiang Shusheng of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China expressed support last May for President Aquino’s call to settle the issue diplomatically.

During a courtesy call at the Office of the Vice President, Jiang said the Philippines and China should maintain a “friendly atmosphere” in handling the situation, keeping in mind the relationship between the two countries. With Rainier Allan Ronda, Alexis Romero