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A+ A A- Too confrontational Written by Ninez Cacho-Olivares

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Too confrontational


The Philippines under Noynoy won’t get anywhere in getting what it wants, whether from China, or the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, mainly due to the country’s officials — especially its diplomats’ — ultra-confrontational style of “negotiating.”

Perhaps at the root of it all is the Philippine officials’ belief that they can push hard to the point of being obnoxious in their ways since the United States’ line and interests are being dutifully followed.

It is understandable for Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Chief Albert del Rosario to push the inclusion of the country’s issues with China in the disputed Scarborough Shoal and the Spratlys with the Asean solution of bringing these to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLoS), but surely Del Rosario must have already known that Cambodia, and perhaps other Asean countries would not bow to the Philippine demands for Asean to deliver on these contentious demands, as these other Asean countries have strong ties with China.

According to a DFA statement, what Del Rosario wanted was for the joint communiqué to reflect the Philippine stand in resolving the problems in the disputed areas, where the communiqué perhaps could have been worded in more general terms.

That it was confrontational was evident when the Philippines took strong exception to the statement of Cambodian Prime Minister Hor Namhong, who announced that “this will be the first time that the Asean is not able to issue the joint communiqué due to bilateral conflict between some Asean member-states and a neighboring country.”... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/commentary/item/1548-too-confrontational

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