RP seeksto allay Viet's fears over Spratlys oil plans 120904 
RP seeks to allay Vietnam's fears over Spratlys oil plans

Updated 07:01am (Mla time) Sept 12, 2004
Agence France-Presse



THE PHILIPPINES Friday sought to allay Vietnam's fears over a joint plan with China to map potential oil deposits around the disputed Spratly Islands, saying the move did not violate a code of conduct signed by claimants in 2002.
Vietnam's foreign ministry on Thursday lashed out at China and the Philippines, accusing them of bypassing other claimants in signing the agreement to jointly explore the South China Sea for minerals.

It asked the two countries to provide information on the three-year plan, which was signed when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visited China last week.

"This undertaking is based on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Seas. Anything that would be consistent with that earlier agreement, I believe, is something that could be considered," Ms Arroyo’s spokesman Ignacio Bunye said.

The code of conduct was signed by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2002. ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, as well as China and Taiwan claim the Spratlys in part or whole.

A chain of atolls and reefs, the Spratlys are believed to be atop vast mineral and oil reserves. The islands are considered a flashpoint in the region, with the claimants engaged in deadly clashes in the past.

Bunye said the Philippines was willing to provide Vietnam with a copy of its agreement with China, stressing that the joint effort would only cover "seismic studies."

"This is all together different from actual joint exploration," he said.

Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo early this week said Manila and Beijing would discuss the plan with other claimants of the Spratlys.

He said there had been no objections from other claimants to the survey and called it a "step towards possible future discussions between and among claimants on provisional cooperative arrangements" in the disputed area.

source: http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=1&story_id=10461