'No economic coercion in sea row'

MANILA, Philippines - US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. reiterated yesterday that Washington would like to see the resolution of the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) through negotiations and without economic coercion.

“We would like to see everything done at the negotiating table (in a) collaborative process... without rancor, economic coercion,” Thomas told reporters after witnessing the completion ceremony for the 13th Cycle of USAID (US Agency for International Aid) Congressional Internship Program for Young Mindanao Leaders at the Century Park Hotel in Manila.

“We will continue to support ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), especially in its Code of Conduct,” he said.

ASEAN reached a consensus during the Senior Officials Meeting last June on the elements of a Code of Conduct on the South China Sea that underscores ASEAN is pursuing the resolution of the dispute in a multilateral manner, and not in a bilateral fashion that is the approach China has been insisting on.

Thomas said the US is very supportive of the ASEAN maritime meetings currently ongoing hosted by the Philippines.

The Third ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF) opened at the Manila Hotel yesterday.

The forum brought together the ten ASEAN member-countries to discuss cross-cutting maritime issues at a time of maritime and territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines is hosting the AMF and the First Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF) that will gather all 18 East Asia Summit members, including Japan and China.

The AMF is envisioned to promote maritime cooperation under the ASEAN Political Security Community framework by serving as the primary venue within ASEAN to discuss cross-cutting maritime issues.

Sessions at the 3rd AMF were chaired by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Erlinda Basilio with focus on maritime security and cooperation in ASEAN, ensuring freedom of navigation and combating sea piracy, and protecting the marine environment and promoting eco-tourism and fishery regimes in East Asia.

Experts from international organizations, including the International Maritime Organization and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, would also attend the AMF.

The inaugural meeting of the EAMF on Friday will bring together government officials and representatives of international organizations, think tanks and the academe from the 18 members of the East Asia Summit to discuss maritime security and cooperation issues.

The EAS includes the ten ASEAN member countries plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.

Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Koji Tsuruoka of Japan will deliver the keynote speech.

Basilio will preside over the discussions on the relevance of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in today’s context, opportunities to enhance maritime connectivity in the region, capacity building, infrastructure and equipment upgrading, seafarers’ training, and best practices in marine environment protection and eco-tourism in East Asia.

Basilio, the Philippines’ Senior Official to ASEAN, said, “The Philippines is privileged to host the third AMF and the first EAMF. Both of them serve as important platforms for dialogue and cooperation on maritime issues in the region. The Philippines believes that countries in the region face common challenges that require collaborative approaches.”

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US looks forward to the Philippines’ hosting of the EAMF, saying “all 18 East Asia Summit states have been invited for in-depth discussions on how to improve safety on the region’s waterways, combat piracy, protect the environment, and we are encouraged by the recent informal dialogue between ASEAN and China as they work toward a comprehensive code of conduct for the South China Sea as a means to prevent future tension in the region.”