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I am comfortably ensconced in the luxurious Serena Hotel in
Islamabad, a stone’s throw from the Diplomat’s Enclave where the
embassies are heavily secured following the assassination of the
former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. To get into Serena
Hotel, I had to pass thru a dozen policemen and hotel security. The
government offices nearby—such as the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs—are surrounded by barbed wire. Pakistanis are struggling
to live normal lives, even as their country is under siege.
In the past week alone, Pakistan has been rocked
by several attacks: on Sunday, a suicide bomber killed at least 15
people and wounded dozens while thousands rallied to commemorate
last year’s military crackdown on the Red Mosque. On Monday, seven
bomb blasts in Karachi killed at least two and injured over 40.
Karachi Police Chief Wasim Ahmed believes that the attacks were
masterminded “to create a rift between ethnic groups in the
city” (Dawn Newspaper).
Then on Thursday, India and Pakistan border
troops exchanged fires in Kashmir. Pakistan has accused India of
violating their ceasefire agreement over the disputed territories of
Jammu and Kashmir. India has explained that the army fired at
suspected extremists but not at the Pakistani soldiers. Although a
peace process is in place, skirmishes revive fears about a repeat of
the four wars fought by the two countries over Jammu and Kashmir.
Countries fight tooth and nail over borders and
territories. Not the Philippine government, which seems eager to
give our territories away. I am printing the July 11 statement of
the Former Senior Government Officials (FSGO) on the Arroyo
Administration’s eagerness to share our territories with the world
thru legislative inaction, even as it uses the law to hinder the
negotiation with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front over Moro
homeland.
Pass a Proper Baselines Bill Pronto!
“We, Former Senior Government Officials [FSGO],
urge the swift passage of a baselines law that reflects our true
historical borders and the maritime boundaries that respect
provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS].
The May 13, 2009, deadline set for archipelagic states to pass a
definitive baselines law and submit this to the United Nations [UN]
under provisions of the UNCLOS is fast approaching. It is therefore
time to ‘get our act together . . . ’
“As signatories to UNCLOS, it is our duty
within the realms of international law to abide by its provisions
while maintaining our sovereignty, while upholding historical claims
with regard to our national territory, and while respecting other
bilateral and multilateral agreements that affect claims to maritime
territories.
“In the mapping of our baselines, history will
remind us that the Philippines is no mere signatory to UNCLOS. It
was the Philippine representatives to the Convention who proposed
the concept of the archipelagic doctrine; evolved it, defended it,
and had it accepted by the conference.
“The Philippines being an archipelago
according to UNCLOS criteria, adherence to the deadline for
delineating its revised baselines may define areas of great import
especially to developing archipelagic countries such as the
Philippines—the extent of maritime jurisdiction, zones of economic
development, areas of strategic importance for national security,
and areas subject to resource and environmental management.
“As we speak, as we debate the merits and
demerits of the various options in determining the scope and breadth
of our baselines, other island and archipelagic countries are
conducting technical surveys to determine their maritime baselines,
especially their Extended Continental Shelf [ECS] based on criteria
of UNCLOS article 76 [prior to the submission of their official
baselines claims at the UN]. Why are they moving on defining their
baselines by the set deadline, and why are we stagnant?
“The UNCLOS gives signatory states the freedom
to place within its maritime boundaries all waters and the islands
and islets embraced therein, as well as to determine its Extended
Continental Shelf based on these boundaries. It is high time we
maximize the options provided by the UNCLOS as the May 2009 deadline
approaches.
“As this issue has gotten rolling in the
legislative branch of government, let the legislative mill take its
course and let it not be hampered at this late hour by last-minute
executive monkey-wrenches, highly-partisan wrangling, nor by
informal communiqué from foreign governments.
“The territorial integrity and the sovereignty
of the Philippines are at stake. The final decision on the baselines
will affect the Philippines for generations to come. The
implications on national security, economic resource development,
the proprietary rights of our Sulu sultanate, and even food security
are vast. Let neither issues of corruption, such as the ZTE-NBN
deal, nor joint undertakings with questionable constitutionality
such as the JMSU, derail the passage of this most historic piece of
legislation.”
For interviews and further questions, please
call: Leticia Ramos-Shahani (09166597815) or Fulgencio Factoran
(09175397606).
aminarasul@yahoo.com
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