RP in a bind on Cuba request

Philippine government officials are apparently caught in a bind by the request of the Cuban government to help in the extradition of a former operative of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the United States.

Malacañang has not issued any official statement over the issue, a day after the Cuban government made the request to the Philippine government to help in the extradition of Cuban renegade Luis Posada Carriles from the US.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on the other hand, pointed out the need for a formal request from the Cuban government before taking any action.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Malacañang has not taken any official position on the matter.

"The DFA is studying the matter carefully. We prefer that this be handled through diplomatic channels," he said.

Bunye claimed there was nothing unusual in the request of the Cuban government for the Philippines to assist in the extradition efforts against Posada from the US.

"As far as we know, we were not the only ones sought for assistance by the Cuban government on this matter," Bunye said.

Cuban Ambassador Jorge Rey Jimenez had sought the help of the Philippine government as a US ally to extradite Posada.

Jimenez claimed Posada is the principal suspect in the bombing of a Cuban airliner that left 73 people dead in October 1976.

He said Posada has been sentenced in absentia for bombing several tourist destinations in the island nation along with the planned assassination of Cuban President Fidel Castro and Panamanian students during the Ibero-American summit held in Havana in 2001.

Posada had sought political asylum in the US only last month after he escaped a Venezuelan prison while awaiting sentence for the 1976 airline bombing.

The Cuban embassy in Manila issued a statement claiming Posada was under the employ of the US government and working in the White House.

They said efforts to extradite Posada were being blocked by the so-called Cuban-American Mafia based in Miami, Florida.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Gilberto Asuque said the Cuban embassy in Manila should submit a formal communiqué officially informing the Philippine government of its request.

Once a diplomatic note is lodged, Asuque said the request will be in the agenda of discussion of the DFA’s Office of
American Affairs (OAA).

He said the OAA is primarily tasked to handle Manila’s diplomatic relations with countries in the American continent.

"The Cuban ambassador has to send a diplomatic note to the DFA," Asuque said.

"If a diplomatic note is not submitted, the Philippine government is not officially informed about their request which was discussed in a press conference of the (Cuban) ambassador last Saturday," Asuque told The STAR.

Jimenez had pointed out the Philippines is in a position to help out with the extradition of Posada since the country is an ally of the US.

The Philippines currently heads the Anti-Terrorism Committee of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and is chairman of the anti-terrorism task force of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which has the US as one of its prominent members.

Asuque said, however, such requests from foreign governments, including Cuba, are normally coursed through diplomatic note to the host government before any action is taken.

"That’s the customary practice," Asuque emphasized. "The embassy (concerned) has to present it to the host government coursed through a diplomatic note."

For his part, Assistant Secretary for the Office of American Affairs Ariel Abadilla said they expect the Cuban embassy to formally submit the diplomatic note before making any statement.

"We have not received a diplomatic note from the (Cuban) ambassador," Abadilla said.

Nonetheless, Havana’s request will also be coordinated with the DFA’s United Nations International Organization (UNIO) before it is brought to the APEC anti-terrorism task force and the US government.

"We still have to check the facts given in the diplomatic note and what they want. It’s something that has to be studied once we get it," Abadilla said.

Officials noted that Manila’s action on Havana’s request to extradite Posada will pose a diplomatic challenge since it could mean the Philippines will exert all efforts on a world superpower like the US to allow Posada to face trial.

The Cuban government had claimed Posada is working with the CIA to overthrow Castro.

Cuba has repeatedly requested the extradition of Posada after he was tried and convicted in absentia on terrorism charges.

Former Cuban ambassador to Manila Ramon Alonso Medina earlier sought the extradition of Posada from the US.

Medina disclosed the US government had recruited Cubans in Miami, Florida to work against Castro’s regime.

The Venezuelan government also wanted to retry Posada for his role in the 1976 airline bombing.

Last May 3, the Venezuelan Supreme Court approved an extradition request against Posada. On the same day, US officials said Posada may not be in the United States, adding the charges of terrorism against him "may be a completely manufactured issue."

Reports had quoted US State Department official Roger Noriega as claiming the US government is "not interested in granting him (Posada) asylum."

Posada reportedly withdrew his asylum appeal and was moving to sneak out of the US when he was arrested on suspicion of terrorism.

His arrest, however, presents diplomatic problems as his extradition is being sought by both Cuba and Venezuela, neither of which country is a close US ally, hence the request made by Cuba on the Philippines to convince the US to extradite Posada.

The US government, on the other hand, has yet to make a statement over the extradition request.

Its diplomatic mission in Manila are tightlipped over calls made by the Cuban ambassador.

US Embassy to Manila spokeswoman Karen Kelley said the US government has yet to make an official reaction on calls by Havana for the extradition of Posada.