![EU, PH back peaceful resolution of sea row](http://1-ps.googleusercontent.com/h/globalnation.inquirer.net/files/2014/09/620x349xaquino-barroso-0917.jpg.pagespeed.ic.7Xxr0BzbER.jpg)
Dispute should be settled by int’l arbitration By Christian V. Esguerra |Philippine Daily Inquirer 1:07 am | Wednesday, September 17th, 2014 European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, right, and Philippine President Benigno Aquino III address the media at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Monday, Sept. 15, 2014. They discussed the Mindanao Peace negotiations, trade and investment, bilateral development cooperation and maritime issues. AP PHOTO/YVES LOGGHE BRUSSELS—The Philippines and the European Union (EU) agree that territorial disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved through international arbitration. This was made clear when President Aquino sat down on Monday with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso at the EC headquarters in the Berlaymont building here, as both leaders emphasized the need to settle differences between China and its neighbors peacefully. With both the Philippines and the EU seeking the same route, Aquino said “China will have to listen,” noting that the EU is its “biggest trading partner.” Beijing, which is claiming around 90 percent of the South China Sea, has rejected international arbitration, insisting that disputes should be resolved bilaterally with individual claimants like the Philippines. “Let me stress that the European Union encourages all parties to seek peaceful solutions, through dialogue and cooperation, in accordance with international law—in particular with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea [Unclos],” Barroso said in a joint press conference with Aquino at the EC headquarters. The European Union, he said, is a “proud” party to the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Read More …