China's structures on reef to stay temporarily: Ramos

China's structures on reef to stay temporarily: Ramos

MANILA (Agencies): Philippine President Fidel Ramos said
yesterday that structures set up by China on a disputed reef
claimed by the Philippines in the South China Sea would "not be
touched" for the time being.

Ramos said the agreement was reached in a regular bilateral
meeting between top-level Philippine and Chinese foreign
department officials in Beijing on March 19.

"Mischief Reef was agreed not to be touched in the meantime,
but those activities and structures are obviously well within our
exclusive economic zone," Ramos said at a news conference.

He was referring to a barren reef in the Spratly Islands, on
which the Chinese had erected four large modern structures
guarded by at least one military ship.

Ramos's conciliatory statement came following various actions
taken by the Philippines to assert its claim to the Spratlys,
including the blasting by Philippine troops of several Chinese
markers discovered around Mischief Reef.

A diplomatic row between Beijing and Manila erupted in
February when Filipino military officials discovered the
structures on the spit, 100 nautical miles away from the
Philippines' southwestern province of Palawan, well within the
country's 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

"While there is a better understanding of each other's
position, there was also a recognition that these positions
remain far apart," said Foreign Undersecretary Rodolfo Severino
in a report which Ramos read.

Six countries -- China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Taiwan and Vietnam -- have laid claim to all or some of the
islands, considered by many as potentially rich in gas and oil.

In a related development, the Czech Republic reiterated its
support yesterday for the peaceful resolution of sovereignty
claims to islands in the South China Sea, vowing also to
strengthen political and economic ties with Manila.

Visiting Czech President Vaclav Havel told a press briefing
that his country supported the Manila Declaration which called
for a "peaceful solution of a problem through dialog," referring
to the disputed Spratly Islands.

Havel arrived late Tuesday for a four-day visit to boost
political and trade ties. He met President Fidel Ramos earlier
yesterday.

"We agreed that political and security problems in our two
regions could best be resolved through dialog, consultations and
confidence-building measures," Ramos said at the same press
conference.

Havel said they had discussed the contending claims to the
Spratly islands but made no specific mention of the tensions
between Manila and Beijing.

Ramos said he and Havel "exchanged views" on the situation in
the Balkan states and East Asia, as well as on the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.