MANILA, Philippines - Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Jessie Dellosa tackled before
Asia’s top defense and military delegates to the 11th Asia Security
Summit of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in
Singapore the multi-faceted security challenges the region is facing
while batting for a peaceful resolution to the country’s prevailing
territorial standoff with China in the West Philippine Sea.
Discussions yesterday at the three-day summit currently being held at
the Shangri-La Hotel centered on regional balance of power,
transnational threats, climate change and natural disasters.
United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the keynote speaker at
this yearly regional security event, declared during the same forum that
the US is closely watching the development in Panatag Shoal.
“Simultaneous special sessions are also being undertaken, paving the
way for the discussions on West Philippine Sea disputes, armed forces
and domestic emergencies, Northeast Asian dangers and opportunities,
submarines and regional security and South Asia’s growing security
threats,” AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos said.
Aside from plenary and special discussions, Gazmin also held bilateral talks with Panetta.
In their bilateral meeting, the two defense chiefs reaffirmed their
respective countries’ commitments to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty
(MDT), with a pledged to increase US-Philippine military cooperation in a
range of areas, including cyberspace, and expanding joint information
sharing, surveillance, and reconnaissance activities.
“The cornerstone of the existing and any future enhancements of our
security relationship will be to assist with capacity building of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, safeguard the stability in the region,
and increase interoperability so that we can effectively provide
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and counter the
proliferation of weapons of mass destructions together,” Pentagon
spokesman George Little quoted him as saying.
Dellosa, for his part, had direct exchanges with his counterparts in
the region to discuss-wide ranging security issues, particularly the
West Philippine Sea dispute.
Aside from Panatag Shoal, which is 120 nautical miles from mainland
Zambales that Beijing is claiming to be an integral part of its
territory, China also declared total ownership of the entire South China
Sea to include islets, reefs, atolls, cays, sandbars in the Spratly
archipelago, which the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan
have interlocking territorial claims.
“The Shrangi-La dialogue is a very timely venue where we can discuss
with foreign defense and security counterparts the pressing security
challenges and concerns that the Philippines, the Asia-Pacific region as
a whole, is facing at present,” said Dellosa, without mentioning the
country’s prevailing territorial standoff with China.
Before his meeting with Gazmin, Panetta highlighted in his speech the
South China Sea territorial dispute, while giving emphasis to the
strengthening relations between the Philippines and the US.
“We are energizing our alliance with the Philippines,” said Panetta, as reported in online news.
US Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, who is also attending
the Singapore Shangri-La security summit, is reportedly traveling to the
Philippines while Panetta is scheduled to visit Vietnam and later
India.
Days after the standoff in Panatag Shoal and with Chinese warships
reportedly conducting joint maritime training in international waters
between Luzon and Taiwan, US nuclear powered submarine USS North
Carolina silently surfaced at the former US Naval Base in Subic,
Zambales followed by the visit of two Indian warships.
Three Japanese training warships were also in the country last week.
But the US defense chief stressed that the US government position in
resolving any territorial dispute among countries is consistent and that
these issues must be resolved through diplomacy and in a manner
consistent with international law.
He said the US government will oppose any moves to provoke, to coerce
and use force to resolve and settle these territorial disputes.
“We have made our views clear to our close treaty ally the
Philippines, to China, and to other countries in the region,” said
Panetta, who after his bilateral meeting with Gazmin met with Japanese
Parliamentary Senior Vice Minister of Defense Shu Watanabe and South
Korean Minister of Defense Kim Kwan-Jin.
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Jaime Laude | The Philippine Star | June 3, 2012 | Article Link
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