|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You Are
Here: |
World News|
Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - Web posted at 10:43:17 GMT Philippine minister withdraws call to expel Chinese ambassador MANILA, Sept 25 (AFP) - A Philippines official on Wednesday withdrew his call for the expulsion of the Chinese ambassador that highlighted the two countries' longstanding dispute over South China Sea islands and fishing grounds. |
|
At a meeting between the two officials Wednesday, Ambassador Wang Chunggui "expressed his regret" over the "lively exchange of views" he had with Justice Secretary Hernando Perez on Friday, the Chinese embassy said in a statement. "I am accepting the gesture of the Chinese ambassador and declare that I bear no personal grudge against him," Perez said in a separate statement. Perez had asked the foreign department to declare Wang "persona non grata" after a meeting on Friday, accusing him of trying to bully the Philippines into freeing 122 Chinese fishermen accused of illegal fishing in Filipino waters. The verbal clash had highlighted security tensions between the two South China Sea neighbors over disputed islands and fishing grounds. The conciliatory moves came hours before the arrival Wednesday of China's Defence Minister Chi Haotian for a four-day goodwill visit. "We had a lively exchange of views on the issue of the Chinese fishermen. I am sure both of us did not intend that our meeting ended the way it did," Wang said in the embassy statement. "Wang expressed his regret over the incident and proposed that they resume their dialogue to resolve the issue of the Chinese fishermen in friendship, goodwill and mutual understanding," it added. Wang believes that, "compared with the continued momentum of the bilateral relations, what had happened between him and Secretary Perez was a trifling matter," the embassy said. Perez said the justice department "is willing to resume its meetings with the Chinese embassy for the purposes of their assuring to their citizens all their rights under our justice system." However, he stressed that "the final decision on these matters lies with our courts." The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned at a lower court on the western island of Palawan on Friday, he added. The fishermen have been languishing in jail for months for allegedly illegally fishing in Philippine waters. Some were intercepted in disputed areas. Foreign department officials held talks with Wang at the weekend after Perez referred his complaint to the ministry. Foreign Secretary Blas Ople also discussed the issue with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting in Copenhagen, foreign department spokesman Victoriano Lecaros said. State prosecutor Jovencito Zuno said the Chinese fishermen would still be required to pay a fine of at least 50,000 dollars and plead guilty to illegal poaching before they would be released. Their time in detention would be counted as part of their sentence. Zuno said that in the meeting with the ambassador Wednesday, Manila found that the Chinese were "agreeable to the proposal to pay the fines." Perez recalled that in their quarrel on September 20, Wang had been angry to hear that the Philippines was insisting on confiscating the fishermen's six boats and charging them hefty fines even if they agreed to plead guilty in exchange for being swiftly released. "If we give them back their boats, they will just continue with their illegal fishing," Perez said, charging that some of the detained fishermen were repeat offenders who had been caught in Philippine waters before. Zuno said photographs of the arrested Chinese had been taken and if they were arrested again, "they will be considered recidivist and will be dealt with harshly." str/mm/cgm/evz Nampa-AFP WEB story ENDS (NAMPA 250901) |
|
|||
PO Box 20783 - Windhoek - 42 John Meinert Street Tel: +264 (61) 236970 - Fax: +264 (61) 233980
|
