Spratlys shooting not a threat: Chief

Spratlys shooting not a threat: Chief

MANILA (AFP): The Philippines does not see an immediate threat
of armed clashes in the South China Sea over the Spratly islands,
armed forces chief Gen. Angelo Reyes said on Sunday.

Reyes stressed the six countries which claim all or some of
the Spratlys -- Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan
and Vietnam -- were constantly communicating with each other to
prevent any incidents in the potentially oil-rich chain of
islands.

The military chief acknowledged that, among the six, Manila
was least capable of defending its territorial claims.

Reyes' comments came after China, in a summit with East Asian
leaders here, last month junked a Philippine-drafted "code of
conduct" designed to contain potential conflict in the area.

The code is aimed at easing tensions in the Spratlys, which
rose earlier this year following a series of shooting incidents
involving Philippine, Malaysian and Vietnamese troops.