MANILA and Washington are working together to give flesh to strategies on how to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their delivery systems, and related materials.
The bilateral discussions are up while Philippine troops are fighting The Maute Group, a self- proclaimed member of Iraq and Syria Islamic State, and continuing missile launches by North Korea.
During the first bilateral Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) engagement, the US Defense Department and the Philippines Anti-Terrorism Council-Program Management Center examined national and international legal authorities which enable WMD interdictions; exercise whole-of-government decision-making processes; discuss challenges in countering WMD proliferation when only limited or ambiguous information is available; demonstrate the benefits of cooperation; and consider mutual role in implementing relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.
“The challenges in preventing WMD proliferation are not getting any easier, with bad actors seeking to acquire dual-use materials to advance their WMD or missile programs, disguising the transactions, and using front companies to hide the end users,” said the US representative Andrea Yaffe, who led the meeting.
“We are pleased that the government of the Philippines partnered with us to explore these issues and to demonstrate their continued commitment to PSI’s Statement of Interdiction Principles,” Yaffe added.
The PSI is an international cooperative effort endorsed by 105 countries to stop trafficking in WMD, their delivery systems, and related materials to and from State and non-state actors of proliferation concern.
“PSI is an area of increased cooperative engagement, not only between the US and Philippine government, but also with other PSI partner countries as we perform our international obligations under the UN Security Council mandates,” Maj. Gen Danilo M. Servando (Ret), head of the Philippine delegation, said in his opening statement.
PSI is designed to counter the threat posed by WMD proliferation through international cooperation and information sharing and, when necessary, coordinated action.
The PSI is an activity, not an organization, and participation is voluntary: each participating state decides whether and how to engage in PSI activities on a case-by-case basis.
Participating countries demonstrate their commitment to the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles by undertaking actions consistent with their national legal authorities and relevant international law and legal frameworks.