Government monitoring activities of Iraqi, other foreign diplomats

Philippine intelligence agents are monitoring the activities of Iraqi diplomats and those of other countries to make sure that they are not working against the government, an official said yesterday.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Lauro Baja said putting diplomats under surveillance is routine in every country.

Last Thursday, an Iraqi diplomat left the Philippines, a day after he was expelled by the government for allegedly consorting with the Abu Sayyaf and other militant groups.

Yesterday the Bureau of Immigration permanently banned Husham Hussain, former second secretary of the Iraqi embassy in Manila, from returning to the Philippines even as a tourist.

Earlier, a bureau source said authorities are set to arrest several suspected Iraqi espionage agents in the country who allegedly met with Islamic militants and with groups opposed to a possible US-led war against Iraq.

Explaining the entry ban on Hussain, Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo said it is the bureau’s responsibility to keep out foreigners who are deemed threats to national security.

Baja said the government hoped that Manila’s relationship with Baghdad would remain smooth despite Hussain’s expulsion.

"We should consider that a closed case, an unfortunate chapter in our relations with Iraq, and the sooner we stop talking about it, the better," he said.

Hussain wore a dark suit when he and members of his family boarded a commercial flight that took off for Doha in Qatar at 11:05 p.m.

The mission’s chargé d’affaires Samir Bolus saw them off at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Neither diplomat spoke to the press.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople withdrew Hussain’s diplomatic accreditation last Wednesday and gave him 48 hours to leave the country.

A "highly detailed" Philippine intelligence report said Hussain had been in contact with an alleged Abu Sayyaf guerrilla following a deadly Oct. 2, 2002, bomb attack in Zamboanga City that killed four people, including a US soldier. Another US soldier was wounded in the blast.

The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency report also alleged that the diplomat met with some groups believed fronting for communist rebels at the Iraqi embassy.

Baghdad on Wednesday denied the allegations against Hussain, and accused the US Embassy in Manila of trying to recruit him into betraying his country. It said the attempt failed.

Iraq’s foreign ministry said the expulsion was part of a US campaign to distort the image of Iraq and link it to terrorism.

"What astonished us was the Philippines (is) following the US campaign of disinformation, which spread allegations about the Iraq diplomat having links to the Abu Sayyaf group," it said in a statement.

The US Embassy, meanwhile, said it found the report "worrisome," but stressed it was not surprising that Iraq was allegedly supporting terrorists in the Philippines.

Ople said Thursday that the top Philippine envoy to Baghdad, chargé d’affaires Grace Escalante, was summoned by Iraq’s foreign ministry to explain Hussain’s expulsion.

"She was asked some questions, but it appears that the government of Iraq is maintaining a very cordial relationship with our embassy in Baghdad and there is no sign that there will be a retaliation," Ople said.

Baja said he hopes the arrival of Iraq’s new ambassador will indicate that bilateral relations will remain smooth. The new envoy, Ghazi Faisal Hussein, is due to arrive tonight. He will present his credentials to President Arroyo once the necessary arrangements are made.

Hussein, 54, holds a doctorate of political science from the University of Paris. He speaks French and English. Before his Manila posting, Hussein was the chief of the Iraqi foreign ministry’s political office.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Malacañang expected the move and defended Hussain’s expulsion. He said Ople’s decision "was based on the intelligence report which is very credible."

"We would have wanted the other side to voluntarily ask its own functionary to leave and that did not come to pass. So what happened was after they even showed signs of defiance, (the Department of Foreign Affairs) just had to recall the accreditation of the diplomat," Bunye said.

The Iraqi embassy had issued a statement defending Hussain and "dared" authorities to present evidence.

Mrs. Arroyo meanwhile urged Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to heed international calls to destroy weapons of mass destruction the US claims Baghdad is hiding.

"I pray that Saddam Hussein will heed the United Nations’ call for the destruction of weapons of mass destruction in order to prevent war," Mrs. Arroyo said in a Valentine’s Day message for Saddam.

Mrs. Arroyo has been the most vocal Asian leader backing Washington against Iraq.

In Makati City’s financial district, Roman Catholic and Protestant clerics marched to the French and German embassies, calling for a peaceful resolution to latest standoff between the US and Iraq.

France and Germany said any military action against Iraq should have United Nations authorization. — With AFP, Marichu Villanueva, Jose Rodel Clapano, Marvin Sy