Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo today disclosed Philippine efforts to intensify bilateral relations with two Middle East countries after DFA Undersecretary for Special Concerns Rafael E. Seguis concluded his trip to Lebanon and Syria from 09-13 September 2004. “In the interest of promoting Philippine interests, as well as mutual cooperation with our Middle East partners, I sent Undersecretary Seguis to Lebanon and Syria to further Philippine bilateral relations with the two countries, including identifying measures to protect Filipino migrant workers who have recently entered the labor markets of the two countries,” the Secretary said.

Upon the return of Undersecretary Seguis to Manila, bringing with him three MOUs for joint consultation mechanisms, two with Lebanon and one with Syria, Secretary Romulo said: “Setting up formal channels of communication is the initial step in expanding cooperation between states. What we have now with Lebanon and Syria are formal state-to-state mechanisms that lay the groundwork for future cooperation. Everything we could talk about and agree upon with Lebanon and Syria springs from these agreements, which are bilateral building block, so to speak.”

Strengthening RP-Lebanon Relations

Secretary Romulo remarked that “the Philippines and Lebanon took a historical new phase in their bilateral relations with the signing on 10 September 2004 in Beirut of two Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), which promise to serve as the springboard for expanded cooperation between the two countries.”

The two agreements, signed by Undersecretary Seguis for the Philippines and Secretary General Mohamad Issa of the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, are the:

* Memorandum of Understanding on Consultations between the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of the Republic of Lebanon; and

* Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of a Consultative Committee for Political, Economic and Cultural Cooperation between the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of the Republic of Lebanon

The first Memorandum calls on the Foreign Ministries of both nations to maintain mutual contacts and consultations through the exchange of visits as well as through other meetings to be mutually agreed upon, including meetings to be held during the annual sessions of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and other occasions.

The second document formally establishes the creation of a Joint Consultative Committee to be presided by a Foreign Undersecretary from the Philippines and a Secretary General from the Lebanese Foreign Ministry. The Committee shall meet once a year alternately in Manila and Beirut in order for both parties to evaluate the state of their bilateral cooperation and identify ways for enhancing close cooperation in the political, economic and cultural fields. The Philippines has similar agreements with its closest bilateral partners in the ASEAN.

“Undersecretary Seguis informed me that he also spoke with Lebanese officials of the need to establish a mechanism to protect the over 20,000 Filipino workers in Lebanon, most of whom are female domestic workers and it was agreed that labor issues would be a priority subject in the consultations to be undertaken under the auspices of the newly signed MOUs,” Secretary Romulo said.

According to Undersecretary Seguis, these MOUs shall serve as the mother agreement for future agreements to follow in various areas of cooperation between the Philippines and Lebanon. Undersecretary Seguis also informed his Lebanese counterpart that the Philippines would be glad to host the first meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee in Manila next year.

Secretary General Issa, for his part, acknowledged that Undersecretary Seguis’ visit to Lebanon marked a milestone in the two countries’ bilateral relations, since it is the first time that a Philippine official of Undersecretary rank has made an official visit to Lebanon. He assured the Philippine Government that the Lebanese Government is ready and willing to contribute all it can to ensure the success of the consultations to be held as a result of the signing of the MOUs.

Before the signing ceremony, Undersecretary Seguis paid a courtesy call on Lebanese Foreign Minister Jean Obeid, who conveyed his personal greetings to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Foreign Minister Obeid said Lebanon supported the steps being taken by the Philippine government to achieve a long-lasting peace in Mindanao, and also felt that Philippine efforts to obtain observer status in the OIC was a step in the right direction.

Closer Cooperation with Syria

On Undersecretary Seguis’ trip to Syria, Secretary Romulo said: “It was an important step in the development and furtherance of relations between the Philippines and Syria. Like in Lebanon, the visit to Syria by Undersecretary Seguis to Syria was also the first visit by a DFA Undersecretary to the Arab State and it effectively laid the foundation for greater future cooperation between our two countries.”

While in Syria, Undersecretary Seguis signed on behalf of the Philippines a Memorandum of Understanding on Consultations between the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic on 12 September 2004. Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Issa Darwish of the Syrian Foreign Ministry signed on behalf of the Syrian government.

The MOU calls on the Philippine and Syrian Foreign Ministries to hold consultations through exchange of visits and conduct of meetings on occasions such as the annual sessions of the UNGA and the like. Under the MOU, both countries are also expected to promote the development of contacts among other government organizations involved in matters affecting international relations.

Prior to the signing of the MOU Undersecretary Seguis and Dr. Darwish had a 90-minute discussion on various issues that concern the Philippines and Syria. In welcoming Undersecretary Seguis, Dr. Darwish relayed the personal greetings of Syrian President Bashir Assad to President Arroyo.

“I was informed by Undersecretary Seguis that Syria echoes the Philippines’ desire that our two countries both establish Embassies in each others’ capitals on the basis of reciprocity,” Secretary Romulo said, adding “I am also glad to note that Undersecretary Seguis and Dr. Darwish discussed means by which the welfare of Filipino workers entering Syria would be protected since this is always a paramount concern of the Philippine government.”

Presently, there are over 3,000 OFWs in Syria, mostly female domestic workers. In response to proposals proposed by Undersecretary Seguis to enhance protection of OFWs in Syria, Dr. Darwish said that the proposals would be studied by their Foreign Ministry in coordination with their Ministries of Labor and Interior. Dr. Darwish also assured his counterpart that Syrian authorities would assist the Filipino Honorary Consul in Damascus in dealing with reported cases of abuse and illegal recruitment of OFWs in Syria.

Other topics discussed by the two officials dwelt on trade, tourism, cultural and language exchange possibilities between the Philippines and Syria. Dr. Darwish informed that Syria recognizes the Philippines’ progress in information technology and Syria, for its part, wishes to promote its export products such as oil, phosphate, cereals, cotton and olive oil to the Philippines.

Undersecretary Seguis also reiterated the Philippines support for the Middle East Peace Process toward lasting peace and progress in the region, especially since there are over a million Filipino workers in the Middle East. The Undersecretary also stated the Philippines’ commitment to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq under the auspices of the United Nations. Finally, Undersecretary Seguis apprised Dr. Darwish on the steps being taken by the Philippines to gain observer status in the OIC, as well as the country’s peace efforts in Mindanao.

In response, Dr. Darwish expressed Syria’s support for the Philippines’ OIC bid for observer status, although the progress of the application would have to pass through a process followed by the organization. Dr. Darwish also expressed his country’s support for a just, comprehensive and lasting resolution to the Arab-Israel conflict on the basis of the terms of the 1991 Madrid Conference and UNSC Resolution Nos. 242 and 338.