STATEMENT
BY FOREIGN AFFAIRS SECRETARY BLAS F. OPLE ON THE SITUATION IN IRAQ
29
January 2003
I would like to reiterate our call for the government of Iraq to fully comply
with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. I believe
that full and verifiable compliance by Iraq is the only way to bring the world
back from the brink of war.
The United States has made its intentions clear today. On 5 February
2003, they will present before the UN Security Council what they believe to
be compelling proof of their case against Iraq.
As President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stated on 17 September 2002, and as
I stated before the 57th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the
Philippines supports the case brought by the Unites States and the international
community to the Security Council in Iraq.
The Philippines continues to maintain the position that a peaceful solution
must be found and that any military action against Iraq should be consistent
with the United Nations Charter and international law.
That safety of our 1.5 million Filipinos in the Middle East remains our
primary concern. Our Middle East Preparedness Team, led by Ambassador
Roy Cimatu, has in place safety, relocation and evacuation plans that take
into consideration all possible contingencies.
But in the long term, our Filipinos in the Middle East cannot truly be safe
until peace and stability returns to the Middle East. And peace and
stability in the Middle East cannot be realized unless the issue of the possession
by Iraq of weapons of mass destruction is fully addresses and resolved.