Vietnam backs PHL-proposed Spratlys peace zone

The Philippines and Vietnam reaffirmed their commitment to peace in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), following Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario's call on Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang last week. Sang expressed his desire to see the Philippine proposal for a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation (ZoPFF/C) materialize within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to a Department of Foreign Affairs report Friday. "Vietnam and the Philippines share a lot of things in common, even with our views on how to tackle issues in the East Sea," Sang said. Del Rosario welcomed Sang's statement. "It is to our countries' interest that ZoPFF/C advances. We hope to move forward together with Vietnam," he said. Aside from the Philippines and Vietnam, four other countries are laying claim to all or parts of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea (also called the West Philippine Sea), including China, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia. In their meeting, Sang and Del Rosario discussed the issue of the West Philippine Sea — which Vietnam refers to as the East Sea — and expressed their respective countries’ desire for a region of peace, stability and development. They also said any peaceful resolution to the territorial disputes should be consistent with international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS. Del Rosario’s meeting with Sang capped his official trip to Hanoi for the 7th Philippines-Vietnam Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation last Oct. 6 and 7. — VS, GMA News