Posted on 07/14/2004 7:13:11 AM PDT by dead
In a move to save the life of a Filipino hostage held in Iraq the Manila Government has bowed to his kidnappers' demands and begun the early withdrawal of its forces from Iraq.
A Philippine Foreign Ministry official said yesterday that Angelo de la Cruz "is safe and there is no more risk of him being executed". The official was quoting a colleague in Baghdad who was close to the negotiations for his release.
The Philippine Foreign Secretary, Delia Albert, announced yesterday that eight Philippine military personnel had left Iraq, five weeks ahead of the scheduled departure of the country's 51-member "humanitarian" contingent of troops and police.
"The Department of Foreign Affairs is co-ordinating with the Defence Ministry for the withdrawal of troops," Ms Albert said in a statement released in Manila.
A spokesman for the Philippine Air Force said the military had two C-130 transport aircraft ready to fly to Iraq to evacuate the remainder of the contingent, but was awaiting final orders.
The Foreign Ministry announcement confirmed earlier reports that the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was defying pressure by Australia, the United States and the interim Iraqi government, and was accepting the demands of Islamic militants who threatened to behead the 46-year-old Mr de la Cruz unless the contingent was pulled out of Iraq by next Tuesday.
The father of eight, a truck driver, was captured last week by a group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq as he was driving a shipment of fuel from Saudi Arabia to Iraq for a US contractor.
The Philippines' decision is seen as setback to efforts by the US-led coalition in Iraq to stem a tide of abductions and murders.
The Arroyo Administration, one of the staunchest regional supporters of US intervention in Iraq, has been under mounting domestic pressure from church groups and left-wing activists to save Mr de la Cruz, one of more than a million Filipino contract workers in the Middle East.
The US policy was opposed to concessions to terrorists because "it sends the wrong signal," a State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, said. He confirmed that the US ambassador to the Philippines, Francis Ricciardone, had met Dr Arroyo to urge her not to pull out the troops.
Australia's Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, telephoned the Philippine ambassador, Cristina Ortega, yesterday and asked the Philippines not to give in to the terrorists "because we will all pay a price if they do", his spokesman said. Mr Downer told the ABC that "all that will do is encourage the terrorists not to target the Philippines any more but to target other nationalities in Iraq helping the Iraqis".
Labor's spokesman on foreign affairs, Kevin Rudd, said Australia should not negotiate with terrorists, but what the Philippine Government did was its own business.
MKM
This would explain why the Phillipines has labored under the yoke of dictatorship for most of its existence, and has been subject to American control during the rest.
Seems you've got some 'splainin to do ;)
Why now, here is a great example of the Kerry-style "nuanced" foreign policy. /sarc
I mentioned in a previous thread that I could understand the Phillipine government blocking workers from going overseas to Iraq for labor. Who wants to die for a $4/hr laundry job?
Removing troops, however, is full blow cowardice.
There is a trend here; nations with a histroy of failure and of being conquered are running for the exit door in Iraq; or they never participated in the first place. And this explains exactly why those nations have a history of being conquered and of being military failures.
Excellent point. Who's next?
She didn't save a life, she killed a Bulgarian.
With the Islamoterrorist problem they have on their own soil, they very well may have just signed their own death warrant.
Pathetic. I was hoping they wouldnt.
What message do they possibly think this sends to their already active home grown Muslim terrorists?
No no no no, that is not good. America need help, America help Filipiny on WWII, Filipiny must help America. Evil persons terorist make Filipiny weak, like Spain comunist they do not want to help America. Weak not good, strong is good.
Poland will stay with America!
Just imagine if America was as spineless.
"DDay cancelled over fears someone might get hurt."
You got it..all this has done has encouraged the terrorists to to kidnap more people and threaten to execute them
This is crazy!
The cowardly Filipinos, by their history, could only arrive at one conclusion.
It fully explains the ability of Abu Sayyaf to infiltrate and dominate their country.
And explains why Al Qaeda will never defeat Americans.
The Philipines has long been a gathering spot for international terrorists. The Government is afraid of them and has surrendered.
The economic, political, social and military basket case of Asia.
What a reprehensible disgrace. I'm not surprised.
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