Wednesday, October 11, 2006 RP can be hit by Nokor's nuke missiles: Arroyo
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesay warned that the Philippines is within striking distance of North Korea and that the nuclear test conducted by Pyongyang has caused a so-called Damocles sword to hang over East
Asia.
Arroyo said nuclear tests are threats to peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and to regional and global security.
"This hangs a Damocles sword above East Asia, threatens regional integration and places the prosperity of all peoples in this part of the world at risk. Freedom is at risk and the Philippines is within striking distance," she said.
She said the Philippines joins the rest of the world in urging the leadership of North Korea to stop developing weapons of mass destruction and to "shift its focus on regional collaboration rather than intimidation."
Arroyo expressed hope that the UN Security Council would come up with the best way to finally convince North Korea to drop its nuclear weapons project.
"As a peace-loving nation, we believe that nuclear weapons have no more place in a shrinking world that places a premium on understanding and harmony, where our overriding interest is the pursuit of world peace, the resolution of economic imbalances and the global fight against poverty," she said.
National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, for his part, said the Philippine government is "very serious" in watching North Korea because it has a reputation of not behaving "according to what we know as behavior of democratic countries."
Gonzales said the Philippines is forced to get involved in major international developments because there are many Filipinos everywhere such as in Japan and in South Korea.
Gonzales gave a presentation on the impact of the North Korean situation on the Philippines in the weekly Cabinet meeting in Malacañang.
However, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the presentation cannot be made public and only said the presentation involved the possible role that each government agency would play in case of certain scenarios.
Bunye, who is also Presidential spokesman, said there would be forthcoming responses from the foreign affairs, labor, and even the health department "insofar as their respective constituencies and stakeholders are affected by this (nuclear) testing."
He also said the primary consideration would always be the countries with a big number of Filipino workers. (JMR/Sunnex)
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