DFA's Lazaro: Monthly meetings to be held for talks on SCS Code of Conduct

MANDAUE CITY - Monthly meetings will be held for the negotiations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said Thursday.

In a press briefing, Lazaro said this was a proposal which was accepted by the ASEAN colleagues. She said that as an optimist, she wants to say that she is highly confident about the conclusion of the COC, however, she admitted that it cannot be predicted. 

What the Philippines pushed is the monthly meetings of the technical working group, according to Lazaro.

''I would love... being an optimist, I would like to say a high level of confidence but as being an optimist... but as being a pragmatist, I would say that, I cannot really predict. But this is what we're going to do as a strategy. We, the Philippines now as chair, will have monthly face-to-face meetings of the technical working group,'' Lazaro said.

''There's not been any resolve or decision on the contentious issues but there seemed to be... I think everybody is trying to do its respective way on how to do things. I just want to tell you that one of the ASEAN member states has come up with a paper on one of the milestone issues. So everybody is trying to put in definitions as well as possible areas of cooperation,'' she added. 

Asked if China agreed to these frequent meetings, Lazaro said ASEAN is in the process of talking to Chinese officials.

''We are in the process of talking to them but I don't see any difficulties with that,'' Lazaro said.

Three Southeast Asian diplomats who spoke to GMA News Online said negotiations have advanced to the most contentious issues, called "milestones," including the scope of the disputed waters it will cover and whether the Code of Conduct should be legally binding or not. 

The proposed COC aims to set some rules to prevent the intensifying disputes in the South China Sea from spinning out of control and worsening into a major armed conflict that could involve the United States, an ally of the Philippines and other Asian countries at odds with China. 

The negotiations, however, have suffered delays and have dragged on for more than a decade.—AOL, GMA Integrated News