Spratly row will not mar RP-China ties, envoy says<\/p>\n
BEIJING (Reuter): Manila's dispute with China over the Spratly
\nislands will take time to resolve but should not damage
\nrelations, Philippine Ambassador Romualdo Ong said yesterday.<\/p>\n
"This is a complex question and cannot be resolved in quick
\ntime," Ong told a news conference in Beijing.<\/p>\n
"Both sides...agreed that problems of this nature should not
\ndisrupt the longstanding and good, friendly relations."<\/p>\n
Ong was speaking after talks this week in Beijing between
\nForeign Ministry officials to try to defuse tension after Manila
\ncharged China with widening its occupation of areas of the
\ndisputed South China Sea archipelago.<\/p>\n
Last month, Manila accused Beijing of building what it said
\nlooked like a naval support installation over Mischief Reef in
\nthe Kalayaan Group in the Spratlys, which it says are part of
\nPhilippine territory.<\/p>\n
The Philippines and China failed to reach agreement during
\nthree days of talks but pledged to meet again at a time and place
\nyet to be decided.<\/p>\n
Ong described the atmosphere at the talks as "frank but
\ncordial" and said the negotiations had offered an opportunity for
\nboth sides to lay out fully their positions.<\/p>\n
In Manila, armed forces chief Gen. Arturo Enrile said on
\nThursday the Philippines had blown up maritime markers set up by
\nChina near the disputed reefs.<\/p>\n
"We have destroyed some of them. We demolished by explosives,"
\nhe told reporters.<\/p>\n
There was no immediate Chinese comment on the action.<\/p>\n
During the talks, China repeated that the facilities were
\nbuilt by local Chinese authorities as a shelter for fishermen,
\nOng said.<\/p>\n
The Spratlys are a potentially oil-rich cluster of isles,
\nreefs and atolls claimed wholly or in part by China, the
\nPhilippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.<\/p>\n
Asked to describe current relations, Ong said they were "good,
\nstable".<\/p>\n
"There are occasional humps in the relationship," he said.
\n"But on the whole they remain good and both sides are
\ndetermined...to tackle our problem between us through peaceful
\nnegotiations."<\/p>\n
The Philippines was convinced stable relations served larger
\ninterests, Ong said, adding that this would strengthen stability
\nin the Asia-Pacific region.<\/p>\n
He said Manila welcomed the U.S. position that it opposed the
\nuse of force by claimants to the region.<\/p>\n
"We regard that as a helpful statement," he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a senior official of the European Union Commission
\nyesterday endorsed an agreement forged in Manila by the ASEAN
\nnations calling for a peaceful solution to the dispute over a
\nstring of islands on the South China Sea.<\/p>\n
The Spratlys, a potentially oil-rich cluster of isles, reefs
\nand atolls, is seen as a flashpoint in the region.<\/p>\n
"We believe a peaceful and negotiated solution is the only way
\nto progress," EU Vice-President Manuel Marin told a news
\nconference.<\/p>\n
"The first and only solution is to respect the Manila
\nAgreement," Marin said, referring to a declaration by the
\nAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila in 1992
\ncalling for a peaceful solution to the dispute.<\/p>\n
Marin said he reiterated the Union's stand to Philippine
\nForeign Secretary Roberto Romulo during talks yesterday.<\/p>\n
"Of course, he was very happy at the reaction of the European
\nUnion," he said.<\/p>",
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