U.S. SET TO STRENGTHEN PHL MARITIME SECURITY / EASE TENSION, U.S. ASKS CHINA
MANILA, JUNE 27, 2011 (STAR) By Pia Lee-Brago - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates (photo) has expressed readiness to strengthen the Philippines' capability in securing its maritime territory.
The Philippine Embassy in Washington reported Gates had expressed the readiness of the US government to strengthen the Philippines' defense capability during his talks with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario at the Pentagon on June 24.
In a separate meeting by Del Rosario with US National Director for Intelligence James Clapper, Gates pledged to enhance the NDI's intelligence sharing with the Philippines to upgrade the country's maritime situational awareness and surveillance in the West Philippine Sea.
Del Rosario told the US defense officials that he would invoke the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) to acquire military hardware from the US military.
Under the EDA, the US government traditionally turns over to the Philippines "newer US military assets which the Philippines could acquire quicker but through a deliberate selection and, which hopefully, are more cost-effective."
US Defense Undersecretary for Policy Michelle Fluornoy said they would be obliging with the request and "have our team look into the full range of (the Philippines') requirements (for maritime security)."
Fluornoy also said, "We should not allow this perception that you are alone and we are not behind you."
Clapper said the US "has a long association" with the Philippines and "we will do whatever we can to help" even as he expressed concern over the recent incidents in the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippines conveyed to the US its resolve to strengthen its external defense capabilities amid the brewing disputes in the Spratly group of islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
The Philippines had sought to modernize its military following a series of incidents with China in the region, particularly in the Spratlys, a chain of islets believed to sit on vast mineral resources.
Aside from China and the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim all or part of the South China Sea, which includes the Spratlys.
The Philippine government's position to take action in the territorial dispute was conveyed by Del Rosario in a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on June 23.
The Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. said Del Rosario and Clinton discussed the situation in the West Philippine Sea, and shared the view that the recent incidents in the region are a source of concern that could undermine regional peace and stability.
The two officials agreed to consult closely on ways to protect their shared interest in maintaining freedom of navigation, respect for international law, and unimpeded lawful commerce in the West Philippine Sea.
Del Rosario said, "The Philippines is prepared to do what is necessary to stand up to any aggressive action in our backyard."
He said the Philippines had a strong legal ground in its claims under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Del Rosario briefed Clinton on the Philippines' proposal on how to transform the West Philippine Sea to a Zone of Peace, Friendship, Freedom and Cooperation.
Clinton gave Del Rosario a strong statement of assurance that the US will honor its commitment under the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the Philippines.
The MDT invokes that "each Party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific Area on either of the Parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes."
Del Rosario also agreed on the observations of US Senator John McCain in calling for the US to step up efforts in supporting Southeast Asian countries on the issue of sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippine Embassy in Washington said Del Rosario met with McCain, a senior Republican senator from Arizona and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on June 21.
At a dinner sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on June 20, McCain said the US should assist member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in developing and deploying an early warning system and coastal vessels in the areas being disputed.
He also emphasized the importance of diplomacy and a unified effort in helping ASEAN address differences with China.
Del Rosario and McCain agreed that a multilateral approach is vital in resolving differences among the claimant nations. They also supported a rules-based regime and a binding agreement to preserve the peace in the region.
McCain added the best way to prevent conflict is to build capabilities and undertake joint operations.
McCain also reiterated the US government's support for the Philippines that he considers as the first democracy in Asia and a close treaty ally of the US.
Opportunity to shop
Malacañang yesterday said the US statement of support for the Philippines' defense capabilities should not ruffle any feathers.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the meeting between Del Rosario and Clinton was a renewal of both countries' commitment to peace and stability in the region.
"It (the meeting) is just an affirmation of commitment for peace and stability in the region. (Surely) it will not ruffle any feathers," she said.
Valte said the assurance from Clinton was a welcome development.
Valte added the government had increased the budget for the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the efforts would continue.
"We will procure whatever we can afford at present given our limited budget just to modernize our defense," Valte said.
"Traditionally, historically, we have always turn to them (US) when it comes to the issue of procuring equipment for the military," she added.
Parañaque City Rep. Roilo Golez said there are many good excess defense articles available in the US inventory that can be made quickly serviceable for immediate deployment to the Philippines.
Golez, a former Navy officer, suggested that the Philippine Navy, being in the frontlines in the West Philippine Sea, should acquire Perry class fast frigates with guided missiles (FFGs) under the excess defense articles program with the US.
"These 4,000-ton, 29-knot frigates were mothballed in 2003, some built in the 1990s, with good capability against aircraft and ships," Golez said.
"We can arrange the lease or even lend lease of two to four frigates. With an operational range of around 4,000 miles, these frigates are ideal for patrolling and protecting our economic assets within our 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) from the Batanes area to the Celebes, and of course, the West Philippine Sea to the west and the Philippine Sea to the east," said Golez, a former national security adviser and graduate of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis.
Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares, however, expressed skepticism over the US commitment to provide the Philippines with weapons and other military assets.
Colmenares said the US government does not have a good record in delivering on its promises, even to its close allies. And if it does, the aid comes with strings attached.
"It is doubtful that the US will really help the Philippines upgrade its military hardware with no strings attached," Colmenares said.
"More likely than not, they (US) will again impose conditionalities that would further make us dependent on the superpower. Chief among them is the return of the US bases," he said. - With Aurea Calica, Paolo Romero
US asks China: Ease tension in Spratlys (The Philippine Star) Updated June 27, 2011 12:00 AM
HONOLULU – The United States on Saturday called for China to lower tensions in the South China Sea through dialogue as the Pacific powers held first-of-a-kind talks on friction in Southeast Asia.
Senior US official Kurt Campbell said he assured China during the talks in Hawaii that the US welcomed a strong role for Beijing, which has warned Washington against involvement in the intensifying disputes.
"We had a candid and clear discussion about these issues," Campbell, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told reporters after the session in Honolulu.
"We want tensions to subside. We have a strong interest in the maintenance of peace and stability, and we are seeking a dialogue among all of the key players," he said.
Incidents in recent weeks have heightened tension in the South China Sea, a strategic and potentially oil-rich area where China has territorial disputes with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
The Philippines ordered the deployment of its naval flagship and Vietnam carried out live-fire drills after accusing China of aggressive actions.
While the US and China often talk, Saturday's session was the first to focus specifically on the Asia-Pacific region. The dialogue was set up during the top-level Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington in May.
Campbell said the US and China would hold another round of dialogue in China at a time to be determined.
"We had a useful and productive exchange of views," Campbell said. "I thought the overall tone and content was constructive."
The US and China conducted "open, frank and constructive discussions with the goal of obtaining a better understanding of each other's intentions, policies and actions toward the Asia-Pacific region," he said.
Campbell said the US highlighted during the talks in the Pacific state that it is an Asia-Pacific country with an interest in the region's peace, stability and prosperity.
He said the US explained that it is trying to build new partnerships in the area and that it supports a strong China.
President Barack Obama's administration has focused on building ties with Southeast Asia, accusing the previous team of George W. Bush of neglecting the fast-growing and often US-friendly region due to preoccupation with wars.
The US has rallied behind Southeast Asian nations amid the high tension in the South China Sea.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged Thursday to help the Philippines - a treaty ally of the United States - to modernize its navy. The archipelago's flagship warship is an aging vessel used by the United States in World War II.
The United States and Vietnam have also been stepping up cooperation, with the former war foes issuing a joint call during recent talks in Washington for a peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea.
The US plans joint exercises with the Philippines and a naval exchange with Vietnam in coming weeks, although US officials have characterized the activities as routine.
China has insisted that it wants a peaceful resolution of conflicts and has voiced alarm at what some Chinese policymakers consider an effort to hold back the rising power.
China's top official at the Hawaii talks, vice foreign minister Cui Tiankai, warned ahead of the session that US support of its partners "can only make things more complicated."
"I believe some countries now are playing with fire. And I hope the US won't be burned by this fire," Cui said, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal.
Cui said the US should limit itself to urging "more restraint and responsible behavior from those countries that have been frequently taking provocative actions."
Campbell said the US also told China that its rapidly growing military spending has raised concern in the region and that "greater transparency and more dialogue will help ease those concerns."
DFA hails alliance with US
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario hailed the US as the Philippines' most strategic ally.
He said both countries shared values and ideals, wars that have been fought together, bilateral trade and investment, development assistance, and people-to-people relations.
Del Rosario made the statement when he spoke about the Philippine-US alliance before the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Southeast Asia Program last June 23.
The CSIS is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1962 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It seeks to advance global security and prosperity by providing strategic insights and policy solutions to decision makers.
Its Southeast Asia program, headed by Ernie Bower, serves as a forum for US policy in that region.
Representatives from the academe, government, business, think tanks, media and diplomatic community attended the event.
Del Rosario said Philippine-US ties have become an imperative, to allow the alliance to continue to meet domestic goals, while contributing to global stability.
A question and answer forum was conducted following Del Rosario's address with many of the queries touching on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) issue.
Del Rosario said, "The primacy of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is the cornerstone on which we define and protect our territory and maritime entitlements in the South China Sea."
He offered a framework "that transforms the South China Sea from an area of dispute to a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation by a segregation of disputed relevant features from the undisputed waters of the South China Sea consistent with UNCLOS."
Phl-US set war games
State-of-the-art US missile destroyers will join aging Philippine warships for naval exercises this week in a timely show of unity as tensions with China escalate over a maritime dispute.
The 11 days of exercises start tomorrow off Palawan in the Sulu Sea, close to the disputed waters of the South China Sea where Manila has complained of increasing Chinese provocation.
Officially the training is an annual event not linked to the territorial row, but it nevertheless offers the Philippines comfort shortly after appealing to its longtime ally and former colonial power for help in containing China.
"The exercises show that the Philippines and the US are still very close. They (Philippine leaders) hope that the Chinese will be impressed by this," said Ben Lim, a political science professor at Ateneo de Manila University.
"It will give the Philippines confidence in regard to diplomatic leverage. When they meet the Chinese again in peaceful negotiations, they can say 'the Americans are on our side,'" Lim said.
The Philippines has in recent months complained of allegedly increasingly aggressive actions by China in waters claimed by both nations in the strategically vital and potentially resource-rich South China Sea.
President Aquino this month accused China of inciting at least seven incidents recently, including one in which a Chinese vessel allegedly opened fire on Filipino fishermen.
He accused China of breaking international law by intruding within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile economic exclusion zone, and called on the US for help in defending the country's claims against the Chinese.
Del Rosario last week traveled to Washington, where he won some backing from the US as the superpower offered to help modernize the cash-strapped Philippine military.
"We are determined and committed to supporting the defense of the Philippines," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a joint news conference with Del Rosario.
"The US and Philippine navies have a long history of working together, and exercises like (these) provide a great venue for us to hone our skills and increase our interoperability," US CARAT commander Capt. David Welch said.
The US will send 800 sailors and two guided missile destroyers, plus a diving and salvage ship, to the 17th staging of the exercises, the US military said in a press release.
Highlighting the disparity between the allies' military capabilities, the Philippine Navy said it would deploy two World War II-vintage vessels armed only with cannon for CARAT.
About 300 Philippine sailors will take part, according to Navy spokesman Lt. Noel Cadigal.
The US is scheduled to stage similar exercises with Vietnam next month, although it has insisted they, too, have nothing to do with South China Sea tensions.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Commodore Miguel Rodriguez yesterday said the US readiness to boost the Philippines' capability in securing its maritime territory is a positive development.
Rodriguez said it is the duty of any self-respecting nation to enhance the capability of its security forces.
"We are looking at this as a positive development in terms of the relationship between the US and the Philippines as treaty partners," Rodriguez said in a phone interview.
"Our defense is not against any country. We are trying to build our defense capability since it is the responsibility of any self-respecting nation," he said.
Rodriguez said the assurance of US defense officials is just in line with the Mutual Defense Treaty signed by the US and the Philippines in 1951.
China, Vietnam pledge to resolve row
China and Vietnam have pledged to resolve the row over competing South China Sea territorial claims "peacefully," Chinese state media quoted both sides as saying Sunday after tensions rose over the issue.
The two neighbors pledged to reach a "peaceful resolution of the maritime dispute between the two countries through negotiations and friendly consultations," a report by China's official Xinhua news agency said.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese protesters yesterday marched through Hanoi's streets for a fourth straight week, calling for China to stop entering Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea as tensions between the neighbors continue to flare.
Carrying signs that read "China stop lying. China stop invading" and "Stop violating the territorial waters of Vietnam," the crowd swelled to about 100 as it snaked through the capital's humid streets.
Protests are extremely rare in communist Vietnam and are typically quashed quickly by security forces. Still, Hanoi has allowed the demonstrations to go on for the past four Sundays amid tight security.
"The tensions in the East Sea may escalate, but if other countries join together, the Chinese may have to back down," said Phung Thi Tram, 70, referring to the area by its Vietnamese name. She yelled "Down With China!" as she marched.
Vietnam accuses Chinese vessels of hindering oil exploration surveys in an area 200 nautical miles off its central coast that it claims as its economic exclusive zone. China says Vietnam illegally entered its waters near the disputed Spratly Islands and endangered Chinese fishermen.
The two sides have a long history of maritime scrapes, mainly involving areas around the believed resource-rich Spratly and Paracel islands, which are claimed all or in part by Vietnam, China and several other Asian countries. But the current spat has become much more hostile, with both sides announcing live-fire naval drills were recently held. - Alexis Romero, AP
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