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| Madeleine Albright (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Pia Lee-Brago
MANILA, Philippines - The landmark ruling on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) favoring the Philippines does not get removed from the books and would be useful in certain periods, former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright said on Wednesday.
“I think it was the previous government that asked for that landmark decision. It doesn’t get removed from the books. It’s there,” she stressed when asked about President Duterte’s decision to set aside the arbitral ruling in the meantime.
The UN-backed arbitral tribunal based in The Hague ruled on July 12, 2016 that China’s nine-dash line claim does not have legal basis and that Beijing violated its commitment under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) by building artificial islands in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
China has opposed and refused to honor the tribunal ruling, calling it illegal and invalid.
“It doesn’t mean the decision is overtaken by events. It’s there. I believe it’ll be useful in certain period,” Albright said at the ANC Forum on Global Governance and World Economy at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza hotel.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the President’s priority of regional peace and stability has led to the healthy environment of dialogue, cooperation and development with China and other Asian neighbors.
Read the full story at PhilStar