Behave, Ople tells new Iraq envoy

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople warned the newly arrived Iraqi ambassador and his staff yesterday against violating diplomatic rules following the expulsion of an Iraqi diplomat for alleged terror links.

Ople said he did not want to repeat the expulsion last month of Iraqi embassy second secretary Husham Hussein for having alleged contacts with the Muslim Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group.

The Abu Sayyaf has been linked by Washington and Manila to the al-Qaeda terror network of Osama bin laden.

"I asked the ambassador to warn members of his staff and members of the Iraqi embassy in Manila against being involved in activities exceeding the scope of their diplomatic rights and obligations," Ople told reporters after meeting with Iraqi Ambassador Faisal Hussein.

Hussein assured him that the embassy staff would not be involved in any such activities, Ople recalled.

Hussein "said that under his leadership at the Iraqi embassy, they will definitely not involve (themselves) in activities with illegal groups and certainly not with terrorist groups which their government opposes," Ople said.

He added that Hussein also reiterated his government’s firm stand on territorial integrity and sovereignty in the southern Philippines, since Iraq is a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Ople said he will be presenting the "open credentials" of Hussein, who arrived in the country last Feb. 15, to President Arroyo as part of the standard protocol observed by ambassadors newly arrived in the country to which they were assigned.

"Indeed, there is a long queue of ambassadors waiting for their turn to present their credentials to (the) President. His presentation is being arranged in Malacañang, subject to the availability of (the) President," Ople said.

Ople noted that despite a certain divergence of views between the governments of Iraq and the Philippines, the two countries have excellent relations with each other. He added that he welcomes the designation of Hussein as a full-fledged ambassador to the Philippines.

He said that he and Hussein also discussed and agreed to review the joint bilateral commission between the two countries as a venue for promoting "economic and cultural" fields. The commission was set to meet this year, but the meeting "was postponed due to the emergency situation looming in Iraq and the Middle East."

Ople said he has already instructed the Philippine embassy in Baghdad to extend possible assistance to a group of congressmen, including Akbayan party-list Rep. Loretta Ann Rosales, who will be visiting Baghdad as part of a peace mission.

The new ambassador, Ople said, has confirmed that visas have been given to the delegation and has presented his government’s position that it has no weapons of mass destruction.

"Our stand has been presented in all international fora, including the recent Non-Aligned Movement summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We want Iraq to comply with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441, calling on the regime of Saddam Hussein to disarm itself of weapons of mass destruction. Of course, the Iraqi government has constantly reaffirmed its position that they do not possess (such) weapons ," he said.

The United States had warned the Philippines that Iraqi militants in this country could launch attacks on US interests if Washington moves to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Local intelligence charged that the Iraqi second secretary was contacted by an Abu Sayyaf rebel shortly after a deadly bomb attack in the southern Philippines that left three people dead, including a US soldier. – With AFP