Maniolas

Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, sixth from left, and Laotian Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, sixth from right, stand with with Southeast Asian foreign ministers, from left, an unidentified delegate from Malaysia, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, Vivian Balakrishnan of Singapore, Don Pramudwinai of Thailand, Pham Binh Minh of Vietnam, Thongloun Sisoulith, Saleumxay Kommasith, Perfecto Yasay Jr. of the Philippines, Brunei’s Trade Minister Jock Seng Pehin Lim, Sakhonn Prak of Cambodia, Retno Marsudi of Indonesia and Asean Secretary General Le Luong Minh, as they pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the 49th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Sunday, July 24, 2016. AP VIENTIANE—The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with China’s territorial expansion in the South China Sea, intensifying a diplomatic stalemate that officials said they hoped to resolve in further closed-door parleys on Sunday. The foreign ministers of the 10-member Asean deliberated for about three hours, continuing the unfruitful discussions their senior officials had on Saturday, but with no result. “They haven’t completed their discussion,” said Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Sek Wannamethee. “They are now having a working luncheon followed by an Asean retreat, so the issue will be discussed during the retreat.” Like all other Asean meetings, the foreign ministers’ conclave at the Laotian capital Vientiane also traditionally ends with a joint statement. But the sticking point is whether to include a reference to the South China Sea. Consensus Asean’s cardinal principle is Read More …

President Rodrigo Duterte and National Security Adviser Hermoges Esperon Jr. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/EDWIN BACASMAS) DAVAO CITY – The National Security Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday amid pressing issues confronting the country. Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza told reporters here late Saturday that the meeting was being arranged by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and that “all important issues confronting the nation will all be discussed.” Dureza said “all living former presidents, heads of the different congressional levels, key officials of Malacañang’s security council and other leaders” have been invited to attend the meeting. It was not clear though if former President Benigno Aquino III will be attending the NSC meeting, which was set a day after Mr. Duterte’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA). The NSC meeting will be held on the same day that President Duterte will meet US Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry will be coming in from Vientiane, where he was scheduled to attend several meetings of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), during which, he would discuss the territorial disputes between some Asean members and China. During the NSC meeting, the territorial row between the country and China over the West Philippine Sea is expected to be discussed. “President Duterte will listen to the guidance, inputs, suggestions or recommendation of former presidents and other leaders of the government,” Dureza said. Dureza said the Duterte administration would be crafting a set of guidelines that former President Read More …

Laotian Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, left, talks to his counterpart Perfecto Yasay Jr. of the Philippines, center, and Brunei’s Trade Minister Jock Seng Pehin Lim after the opening ceremony of the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Sunday, July 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) VIENTIANE, Laos — Southeast Asia’s main grouping failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with China’s territorial expansion in the South China Sea, intensifying a diplomatic stalemate that officials said they hope to resolve in further closed-door parleys on Sunday. The foreign ministers of the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations deliberated for about three hours, continuing the unfruitful discussions their senior officials had on Saturday, but with no result. “They haven’t completed their discussion,” said Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee. “They are now having a working luncheon followed by an Asean retreat, so the issue will be discussed during the retreat.” Like all other Asean meetings, the foreign ministers’ conclave also traditionally ends with a joint statement. But the sticking point is whether to include a reference to the South China Sea. Asean’s cardinal principle is decisions by consensus, which means any country can veto a proposal. This time, it is Cambodia, China’s close ally. In 2012, Cambodia also blocked a reference to the dispute, which ended with the ministers failing to issue a statement for the first time in the bloc’s history. Sek said the “joint communique is still Read More …

In this July 14, 2016 file photo, a woman walks past a billboard featuring Pagasa, a Philippine island in the South China Sea, on display with Chinese words that read: “South China Sea, our beautiful motherland, we won’t let go an inch” in Weifang in east China’s Shandong province. An international arbitration panel’s decision on the contested waters of the South China Sea so far is fueling regional tensions rather than tamping them down. In the ensuing 11 days, China has responded to the sweeping victory for the Philippines by flexing its military might. The Philippines faces pressure both at home and abroad not to cede an inch to China after the July 12 decision by a tribunal at The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. AP VIENTIANE, Laos — Southeast Asia’s main grouping has opened a meeting of their foreign ministers, deeply divided on how to deal with China’s territorial expansion in the South China Sea. Laos is hosting the gathering of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which traditionally ends with a joint statement. But the sticking point is whether to include a reference to the South China Sea. ASEAN’s cardinal principle is decisions by consensus, which means any country can veto a proposal. This time again, it appears to be Cambodia, China’s close ally. In welcoming remarks, Laotian Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith made no mention of the dispute. In 2012, Cambodia also blocked a mention of the dispute, which ended with the ministers failing to issue a statement for Read More …