Philippines hails progress in drafting of sea code of conduct
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In spite of rifts within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said the bloc has taken a significant step forward in the drafting of a code of conduct that would guide talks on the members' territoria
In a briefing for Philippine journalists covering the Asean summit yesterday night, Aquino said he was happy that there was growing consensus among the claimant countries in the Asean to move toward the formulation of legally binding rules for the discussions.
Aside from the Philippines, Vietnam, another claimant to parts of the South China Sea, and Singapore, a non-claimant, have pushed their neighbours to "formalise the talks that will formulate the COC (code of conduct)," he said.
Aquino said he considered this a major development that contrasted with the slow progress of talks since the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, or the DOC, a non-binding pact entered into by the claimants in 2002.
In the Asean, the rule is not by majority, but by consensus, he said. "If even one objects, there's no consensus.
"So that position of formulating the COC - whereas before there was no discussion of when to formulate - is I think a very significant step," Aquino told Filipino reporters at Sofitel here, where he was billeted.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
