Non-Interference Manila's potent weapon vs
Sayyaf's foreign coddlers
MANILA may find
it handy and use the internationally agreed principle of non-interference in domestic
affairs to protest the actuations of countries that are found to be supporting the Abu
Sayyaf terrorists, according to a ranking Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official.
However, acting
DFA Secretary Franklin Ebdalin admitted no foreign country has been positively identified
as aiding the terrorists whose latest abduction victim is American national Jeffrey
Schilling.
The terrorists are
holding Schilling captive in their heavily forested lair in Patikul, Sulu Island.
“We can
always resort to filing a diplomatic protest on the basis of interference in our internal
affairs against that country if so proven,” Ebdalin said.
The Abu Sayyaf
earlier claimed they don’t need money, saying there are countries willing to provide
them with arms and funds to hold Schilling.
Without naming
their foreign backers, the terrorists hinted that these are countries with strong
anti-American sentiments.
Abu Sayyaf has
demanded that Libya, China, North Korea and Iraq, which have known anti-American
sentiments, participate in the negotiations for Schilling’s release.
All, except North
Korea, however refused to take part in efforts to deal with the terrorists.
Libya which is
still facing US economic sanctions, maintained that only upon the request of the
Philippine government will they join in the negotiations.
Iraq said it is
not interested in the Schilling case.
On the other hand,
North Korea, which recently established diplomatic ties with the Philippines, is still
technically under a state of war with the United States in the absence of a peace treaty
with South Korea to which the US is an ally.
--Charmaine C. Deogracias
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