Press Release No.
103-03
24 March 2003
PARTIES
TO HOSTILITIES SHOULD STRICTLY OBSERVE HUMANITARIAN LAW – OPLE
Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople today expressed the hope that all
sides involved in the hostilities in Iraq will strictly observe international
humanitarian law, particularly the laws applicable to prisoners of war.
“We call on the parties to the conflict to observe the rights of both
combatants and non-combatants. Prisoners of war should be treated
humanely in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, particularly Article
13 of the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of
War and Part III, Section II of its 1979 Additional Protocol I,” Secretary
Ople said.
“We are aware that there are Americans of Filipino ancestry in the war.
While they are no longer Filipino citizens, their ties to our country and
our people continue to be strong and we ask their families and friends to
remain steadfast in their faith as their soldiers carry out their just missions,”
he added.
Secretary Ople made these comments after receiving reports that an American
soldier of Filipino ancestry is a prisoner of war of Iraq.
“I call on the international humanitarian agencies, particularly the International
Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent to attend to the needs of all
prisoners of war and I call on the parties to the hostilities to allow the
appropriate humanitarian agencies access to all prisoners of war,” the Secretary
said.
“Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction continue to pose immediate and long-term
threats to Filipinos in the Middle East. These weapons could also fall
into the hands of terrorists. We continue to give our political and
moral support to the efforts of the US-led coalition to disarm Iraq of its
weapons of mass destruction,” he added.
End.