PHILIPPINES MOVING TO IMPLEMENT UNSCR 1874 ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANILA 001337 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2019 TAGS: KN MNUC PARM PGOV PREL RP SUBJECT: PHILIPPINES MOVING TO IMPLEMENT UNSCR 1874 ON NORTH KOREA REF: A. MANILA 1317 ¶B. STATE 64133 ¶C. STATE 61231 ¶D. MANILA 1112 Classified By: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) In a followup conversation June 23 with Acting Foreign Secretary Franklin Ebdalin, the Ambassador stressed that North Korea's nuclear testing represented a major threat to the region and to our respective countries, and that it was vital that all concerned partners move rapidly to implement UNSCR 1874. Ebdalin readily agreed, noting that President Arroyo had made it abundantly clear that she shared the concerns of the United States. Ebdalin pledged that the Philippine government would explore how best to implement the resolution, and that it had already sent instructions to the various government agencies that play a role in nonproliferation issues, including the Department of National Defense, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA),and the various intelligence agencies, to ensure that action on the resolution is underway. ¶2. (C) In a separate conversation, DFA Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Eduardo Maglaya said that in previous crises involving aggressive acts by the DPRK, the Philippines had espoused concerted action by the United Nations, and it had been a dependable advocate for nuclear nonproliferation in its role as a member of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). ¶3. (SBU) Recent provocative moves by North Korea have garnered significant coverage in the Philippines' often insular media. Both the DPRK's April launch of a multistage long-range missile and the May 25 nuclear test brought front-page attention in leading dailies. During President Arroyo's previously scheduled travel to Korea in the immediate aftermath of the May 25 nuclear test, ASEAN-Korean joint statements condemning the DPRK's moves were widely covered in Philippine broadcast and print media, as were more recent Japanese-Philippine joint statements welcoming UNSCR 1874 and reiterating support for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. KENNEY