US relying on PH support to diffuse tension in Korea

From Malaya (Apr 17): US relying on PH support to diffuse tension in Korea

UNITED States deputy chief of mission Bryan Goldbeck yesterday said the US is confident that the Philippines will come to its aid in helping diffuse the tension between North Korea and South Korea.

North Korea has threatened to launch nuclear attacks against the US, a known ally of South Korea.

At the closing ceremony for this year’s Balikatan exercises between Philippine and US forces, Goldbeck said Americans were with Filipino forces during the Bataan death march during World War II.

“We have not left you since. We remain with you not just for an annual exercise but whenever our partnership is truly needed,” he said.

Goldbeck said Balikatan “is our commitment to you, the commitment of American people to the Filipino people…We stand with you, by your side through national disasters and common threats such as transnational terrorism.”

“Now, we know it’s a two-way street. As Secretary Del Rosario has stated at the opening of Balikatan (last April 5), we know you would come to our aid as well. We have built bridges that brought us together. Now, we can cross those bridges together in a bright future,” he said.

Goldbeck was referring to a statement made by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario when asked by media if the Philippines will offer its bases for US forces once attacked by North Korea.

“I think as treaty allies, if there is an attack, we should help one another which is what the treaty alliance is all about,” Del Rosario had said.

The US and the Philippines were joined by several other countries, including China, in a discussion on disaster scenarios in international waters and responses to be taken.

Goldbeck said the involvement of China in the table top exercise is “very significant” because it revealed the type of operations that they discuss for humanitarian affairs and disaster response.

“There is no one country that has domain over that (disaster response) and we need every country in the region to be able to hold together and help countries in need and certainly, having China for the very first time to at least watch how we do table top exercises and the things that we talk about, I think we’ll help them be better partners in the future,” said Goldbeck.

The Philippines is in a territorial dispute with China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea. The Philippines and China also have disputing claims over the Scarborough Shoal off Zambales.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/index.php/news/nation/29073-us-relying-on-ph-support-to-diffuse-tension-in-korea