RESTRICTED
162002
MDLIAN 8425
LABOUR UNDER SECRETARY TRAJANO AND THE NEW POEA ADMINISTRATOR SARMIENTO. THEY HAD BEEN TOLD BY EMPLOYERS THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR 140,000 SKILLED FOREIGN WORKERS IN THE SERVICES AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES AND THAT THEY PREFERRED FILIPINOS AND THAIS WITH WHOM THEY WERE FAMILAIR. BUT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, ACCORDING TO BOCOBO, WAS ONLY ALLOWING VISAS FOR 10 PER CENT OF THIS NUMBER.
5. I THEN ASKED MANGLAPUS ABOUT HIS TRIP TO THE MIDDLE EAST AND WHETHER HE WOULD BE ENACTING ANY EXECUTIVE ORDER TO IMPLEMENT THE UN SANCTIONS RESOLUTION. HE APPEARED TO TTHINK THIS UNNECESSARY SINCE THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALREADY DECLARED ITS ADHERENCE TO THE RESOLUTION. HE REFERRED AGAIN TO ARTICLE 50 ABOUT THE SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF CERTAIN MEMBER STATES AND SAID THE PHILIPPINES CERTAINLY HAD A PROBLEM OVER ITS WORKERS IN THE AREA. HE ALSO CLAIMED TTHAT THE RESOLUTION MADE AN EXEMPTION FOR FOOD AND MEDICINES. AFTER I HAD MENTIONED THE GENEVA CONVENTION (IN THE CONTEXT OF IRAQ'S BREACHES OF IT OVER FOREIGN CIVILIANS) HE ASKED WHETHER THE GENEVA CONVENTION SAID ANYTHING ABOUT
BLOCKADES WHICH PREVENTED FOOD AND MEDICINES REACHING CIVILIANS. I
SUGGESTED THAT THE WAY TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM WOULD BE FOR IRAQ TO
ALLOW ALL CIVILIANS TO LEAVE. HE SAID THERE WAS NO OBJECTION TO
FILIPINOS LEAVING BUT HE FACED THE LOGISTIC PROBLEM OF HOW TO
EVACUATE THEM.
6. I ENQUIRED WHETHER THE PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN KUWAIT WAS IN EFFECT OPERATING AS A CONSULAR EXTENSION OF THE EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD AND WHETHER THIS MIGHT CONSTITUTE RECOGNITION OF IRAQ'S CLAIM OVER KUWAIT. HE SAID THE EMBASSY WAS NOT PERFORMING CONSULAR FUNCTIONS AND IN THE LAST TWO DAYS HAD BEEN PUT UNDER GREAT PRESSURE TO CLOSE DOWN COMPLETELY. AS FOR RECOGNITION, HE SAID HIS POSITION WAS SIMILAR TO THAT OF INDIA WHICH WAS CONTINUING TO RECOGNISE THE KUWAITI EMBASSY
THERE. THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT CONTINUED TO RECOGNISE THE KUWAITI
AMBASSADOR ACCREDITED HERE ALTHOUGH HE IS RESIDENT IN PEKING.
7. FINALLY I ASKED MANGLAPUS ABOUT PRESS REPORTS THAT HE HAD OFFERED TO MEDIATE IN THE DISPUTE. HE SAID THIS WAS EXAGGERATION BY THE MEDIA. THE SAME THING HAD ERRONEOUSLY BEEN SAID OF INDONESIAN PRESIDENT SUHARTO. IN NEITHER CASE HAD MEDIATION BEEN PROPOSED. MANGLAPUS HAD MERELY SAID IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS THAT HE WOULD BE HAPPY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PEACE PROCESS TOGETHER WITH OR SEPARATELY FROM OTHER ASEAN COUNTRIES.
MACINNES