Spratlys dispute can’t be resolved in one meeting, Palace official

The territorial dispute over the Spratly islands between China, the Philippines and other claimant countries cannot be resolved in a single meeting, a Malacañang official said Friday. ‘This has been an issue that has been, at least since the 1980s, contentious for many of the claimants. Again, we did not expect to have a resolution to this in one meeting," said Secretary Ricky Carandang, head of the Presidential Communications and Strategic Planning Office. Still, the Palace official is pinning hope on the joint statement issued by the Philippines and China — expressing a commitment to pursue a long-term and stable relationship of strategic cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit — to lessen the geopolitical tensions spurred by claims of sovereignty over the whole or parts of the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). The statement was issued Thursday, a day after Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Chinese President Hu Jintao met in Beijing briefly discussed the Spratlys issue. Other than the Philippines and China, those claiming to have territorial rights in the area are Brunei, Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam. “It’s not a resolution that the Philippines and China can reach on their own because there are other claimant countries… So it has to be done in that framework," he told reporters at a press briefing. 'A minor triumph' That the Philippines and China were saying that they want to resolve the issue, “I think, is a minor triumph for all of the countries, in effect. We hope what this will do, is… lead to a lessening of tensions when it comes to these issues," Carandang said. It is also important to see the reaffirmation of the Philippines and China to a declaration on the Code of Conduct, according to the Communications secretary. “As you know, the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea is not binding. [Where] we want to go to is a point where all the claimant countries agree to be bound by that. So, in the sense that we’ve all said we want a declaration of a Code of Conduct, it means we’re all in the same page," he said. Many steps have to be taken before a formal declaration of the Code of Conduct can be made binding, Carandang said. “But what was very clear out of this meeting between the two leaders, was that we all want to go in the same direction," Carandang said. During the ASEAN Regional Forum in Bali last July, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), together with China, renewed their commitment as signatories to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea or DOC, and adhere to guidelines governing behavior in the disputed territories, including the Spratlys. ASEAN ministers are expected to submit a progress report toward firming up the commitments during the 19th ASEAN Summit this month — Sept. 24-29 — also in Bali, Indonesia. — VS, GMA News