Implement antiterror accord: RP

Implement antiterror accord: RP

PHILIPPINES: President Gloria Arroyo has called for the full implementation of an antiterrorism pact with Indonesia and Malaysia in the wake of new terror attacks in the region, a senior Philippine diplomat said on Thursday.

Arroyo raised the subject with Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri shortly after a car bombing on the Indonesian island resort of Bali claimed at least 180 lives, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Lauro Baja said.

Twin bombings in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga that left at least five dead on Thursday underscored the need to boost a regional front against terrorism, Baja said.

The three Southeast Asian neighbors sealed the trilateral Agreement on Information Exchange and Establishment of Communication Procedures in Putrajaya, Malaysia, in May to combat the spread of terrorism and transnational crime in the region. --AFP