PH says Code of Conduct talks at 70%, but key provisions need clarification

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The negotiations on the proposed Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea are at the clarification stage, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.

"Our negotiators are at that point where they need to make some clarifications on some of the elements contained in the agreement," Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Dominic Xavier Imperial, spokesperson for ASEAN Affairs, said in a press briefing.

Currently, the negotiations are at 70%, with points in the agreement that need to be "refined," the DFA said.

"On the description of what 70%, 30% means, that is actually just a representation of how the progress is going. I did not mean to describe it as the number of paragraphs that were agreed upon," Imperial explained.

"While there are challenges, I would also like to point out that there's a commitment among the parties to be able to finalize whatever they need to finalize and to come to an agreement on some of these issues that they are continuously discussing," he added.

In GMA's Unang Balita interview, Imperial said Manila also wants to ensure that the proposed agreement would not prejudice the rights of third parties or countries that are not part of the COC.

“Gusto rin po natin na yung mga karapatan po ng third parties or yung ibang bansa na hindi part nito ay hindi rin po sila maaagrabyado dito sa agreement na ito,” he said.

(We also want the rights of third parties or other countries that are not part of this agreement not to be aggrieved in this agreement.)

Malacañang said it is still hopeful that the COC would be signed before the Philippines' ASEAN chairmanship ends.

"Bawat araw dapat may pag-asa (we should have hope every day)," Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said.

"Sa ngayon, hindi rin natin masasabi kung talagang hindi ito magkakaroon ng konklusyon sa 49th ASEAN Summit dahil ang gusto pa rin ng Pangulo ay masapinal sa panahon na ang Pilipinas ang ASEAN chair," she added.

(As of now, we cannot say if the COC will be concluded during the 49th ASEAN Summit because President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants to finalize it during the Philippines’ chairmanship.) —LDF, GMA News