DFA Releases

Secretary Del Rosario, Secretary Kerry Agree to Forge Stronger, Deeper PHL-US Relations

Thursday, 14 February 2013 18:33
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14 February 2013 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario and newly-installed United States (U.S.) Secretary of State John Kerry have agreed to continue forging stronger and deeper relations between the Philippines and the United States. This understanding was reached between the two officials in a phone call made last night by Secretary Kerry to Secretary del Rosario.

“We spoke at length about our relations and the many opportunities we have to move them further forward. We agreed that as strategic partners with a long shared history and profound common values, it is important for both our nations to deepen our relations on all levels,” Secretary del Rosario said, adding that much of the discussion focused on a wide range of key, strategic initiatives, particularly in the area of security and defense.

Both officials agreed to further cooperation that would help build the capacity of the Philippines to defend its territory and people.

“We exchange views on the implementation of our agreed policy of increased rotational presence, enhanced exercises and capacity building,” Secretary del Rosario stated, adding that cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief is also an import part of this agreed policy.

On regional cooperation, both officials agreed to work together to build stronger ASEAN-U.S. relations.

“We agreed on the importance of working together in ASEAN to promote our mutual interests as well as regional cooperation,” the Secretary said. “We agreed that one area for this is the US initiative to train ASEAN seafarers and that the Philippines, given its recognized accomplishments in enhancing the skills of seafarers, can take the lead on this,” he added.

On the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue, Secretary Kerry gave his support for the efforts of the Philippines to resolve the conflicting claims through the rule of law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Secretary also thanked Secretary Kerry for focusing on the issue of the peaceful settlement of the West Philippine Sea when he was in the Senate.

“Secretary Kerry was a moving force behind a Senate resolution on the peaceful settlement of disputes in the West Philippine Sea,” the Secretary said.

“I discussed with Secretary Kerry our initiative of bringing the West Philippine Sea issue to arbitration under UNCLOS. I emphasized the importance of this initiative to the future stability of our region in particular and to the future efficacy of international law in general,” Secretary del Rosario said. The Secretary said that Secretary Kerry is fully supportive of UNCLOS and was one of its strongest advocates in the U.S. Senate.

During the phone call, Secretary Kerry emphasized his personal closeness to the Philippines and his determination to further enhancing bilateral relations.   “Secretary Kerry was part of the election monitoring team headed by Senator Richard Lugar in 1986. Since then he has always had a keen interest in our country and our democracy,” the Secretary said.

There was also a discussion on the success of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s good governance, economic policies, fight against corruption and peace initiatives.

“Secretary Kerry expressed his highest regard for the leadership of President Aquino and his best wishes for our leadership and our people,” the Secretary said. END

 

 

 

 

 

USS Guardian Grounding Incident: US Committed to Cooperate, Compensate

Thursday, 14 February 2013 18:32
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14 February 2013 – The top foreign affairs official of the United States (U.S.) has assured the Philippine Government of full cooperation in the salvaging of the USS Guardian as well as in the investigation of the grounding incident and that the U.S. stands ready to fully and appropriately provide compensation for all damages.

This was the assurance given by the new U.S. Secretary of State, former Senator John Kerry, in a phone call last night to Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario.

“One of the first things we discussed was the USS Guardian incident. We had a very frank discussion between friends. We both agreed on the importance of removing the USS Guardian from the reef without causing further damage,” Secretary del Rosario said, adding “Secretary Kerry reiterated the deep regret of the US government over the incident and its readiness to provide full and appropriate compensation.”

Secretary del Rosario told Secretary Kerry that the Philippine Government is determined to find out what exactly caused the grounding incident and that a full investigation is being carried out by the Philippine Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

“Secretary Kerry said that he himself wants to know and get to the bottom of what truly happened. In this context he said that he wants to be a full partner of the Philippines in finding out what happened and that the U.S. government will cooperate fully with the investigation that the Philippines is conducting,” Secretary del Rosario said, adding that this would include the willingness of the U.S. to accept and answer queries posed by Philippine investigators to key U.S. personnel.

According to Secretary del Rosario, Secretary Kerry is also committed to sharing the findings of the U.S. investigation and to consulting the Philippines and its experts before finalizing its investigation.

“We both agreed that it is important to understand what happened and to take the necessary navigational safety measures to protect the reef and that would prevent other ships from grounding there.”

On the part of the Department Foreign Affairs, Secretary Del Rosario said that it is determined to make sure that the compensation to be provided by the United States will be appropriate, taking into account the amount and degree of damage to the reef.

“I would like to assure the public that every effort will be made to obtain proper compensation. We also are of the view that a long term commitment of resources by the United States to the future well being of the reef is important, on top of the issue of compensation,” Secretary del Rosario explained. END

 

 
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