From the Manila Times (Feb 16): Spratlys on way to becoming ‘peace zone’
PALEMBANG, Indonesia: It is just a matter of time before the territorial rows in the Spratlys are settled peacefully and the region is declared a “peace zone,” a ranking Indonesian defense official said.
After 10 years of trying to convince claimants to come up with a Code of Conduct, Air Chief Marshall Djoko Suyanto, who is also Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Legal, Political and Security Affairs disclosed that the articles of the proposed code are being finalized.
“It took us 10 years to convince our partners to agree to a code of conduct. Finally, after explaining to our counterparts that the zone should be a peace zone and that every country has equal right for joint use for prosperity, the declaration of conduct will be transformed into a more legally binding contract,” Suyanto told the The Manila Times in an exclusive interview.
He said the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) that are claiming parts of the Spratlys can deal with the problem as one united community, especially in the face of a much bigger threat that China poses.
“Asean communities agreed and its leaders agreed that if anything should happen between our countries we should talk about it in the context of being one Asean community. It is easier for us to take the view as one big united group rather than talk about between one country to another,” Suyanto said.
“Should we need to discuss something toward our counterparts outside Asean [like China], we should consolidate first as one big group with the same vision and views,” he said.
Suyanto said that while Indonesia has no claims in the Spratlys, “we cannot stay away from the issue” since it is part of a united Asean front.
“Indonesia’s message that we’re trying to convey is that the region should be free of conflict and there should be dynamic equilibrium. We are for joint use of the area,” Suyanto said.
The proposed code would be more binding and more operational because all claimants will work on its articles.
“The Asean foreign ministers are working on it now. It took a difficult 10 years to convince them to agree on a declaration of conduct. Now, a more binding Code of Conduct is being done,” he said.
He said China is expected to abide by the Code because it has to deal not only with a single country like the Philippines but the Asean as a whole.
“My perception is that now that they agreed on declaration of conduct and code of conduct, the issue has now shifted to how they will manage the articles of the Code,” Suyanto said.
http://manilatimes.net/spratlys-on-way-to-becoming-peace-zone/76173/
It was very noticeable that she and the rest of city officials were lukewarm to the commissioners right from their arrival in the venue at a hotel in downtown Zamboanga.
But amidst the jeering and the harsh questioning, members of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) made through with the February 12 public forum organized by the City Government of Zamboanga.
The commissioners, led by their Chairman Mohagher Iqbal, calmly and rationally answered questions from several sectors of Zamboanguenos.
In what seems to be an orchestrated outpouring of emotions and even a walk-out, the forum revealed the opposition of this city’s officials to the peace process between the GPH and MILF.
No less than the city mayor herself ordered the local government-assembled crowd to physically stand up and shout ”no” to the city’s inclusion to the Bangsamoro.
Contrary to earlier reports that a BTC commissioner “triggered” the uproar, a review of the sequence of speakers shows a wide time gap between the “wish” statement of Commissioner Akmad Sakkam and the uncalled for reaction of the city executive.
Sakkam merely stated his wish for the people of this city to join the Bangsamoro because of the expected socio-economic advantages Zamboanga stands to gain if it is included in the new political entity.
This, even as the commissioners belabored the point that democratic processes are to be observed in the formation of the territories of the Bangsamoro.
Almost all the questions raised concerned only contiguity of territories and the plebiscite.
Commissioner Raissa Jajurie explained that the petition of at least ten percent of an area does not automatically include it in the Bangsamoro territory unless it is approved by a majority of qualified voters in a plebiscite.
Iqbal earlier mentioned in his opening remarks that they did not make a presentation for the Zamboanga audience because the city is “not directly part of the equation.”
The BTC visit was also primarily made just to give due respect to the city’s leadership. Since the commissioners stayed here for their 3-day consultations in the provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan, they considered it a matter of civility to pay courtesy call to the city mayor.
