30 March 2005 – Charge d’ Affaires a.i. Ricardo M. Endaya of the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad reported to Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo that the Foreign Ministry of Iraq and the political officer of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad have confirmed that they do not have any information or knowledge of any Filipino national involved in an insurgent training camp in Iraq.

CDA Endaya said that “Ambassador Alaa M. Jawadi, Director-General for Asia-Pacific of the Iraq Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told me this morning (28 March 2005) that the foreign ministry has no information on the reported death or arrest of a suspected Filipino insurgent in Al-Qaeda terrorist training camp near Lake Tharthar last week.”

Several foreign heads of missions were given separate briefings by the Iraqi foreign ministry on 28 March 2005, Mr. Endaya added.

During the briefing for the Philippine Embassy officials, CDA Endaya reported to the Department that “Ambassador Jawadi acknowledged that several foreign nationals, along with Iraqis, were either killed or arrested near Lake Tharthar in a joint operation conducted by the Iraqi National Guards and the US Army’s First Infantry Division.”    Among the foreign nationals were Algerians, Egyptians, Afghans, Yemenis and Syrians, according to Ambassador Jawadi, adding that the foreign nationals were believed to have entered Iraq thru the Syrian border.

In his report, CDA Endaya said that “a political officer of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad informed me that he has no knowledge of any Filipino national arrested near Lake Tharthar as reported by Washington Post.”

Yesterday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Special Concerns Rafael Seguis reported to the Department from Baghdad said that General Zihad of the Iraqi Interior Ministry informed him that no Filipino was found in the rebel training camp. (Please refer to press release SFA-173-05, dated 29 March 2005.) END
 

/jay