Philippines Say Can't Control Terrorism Due To Tuna Tariffs ff
7 October 2002
Philippines
Philippine tuna exporters need better access to North American and Western European markets or thousands of jobs will be lost, creating poverty that could give rise to more terrorism in the predominantly Muslim south, a top official said Monday.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople said the Abu Sayyaf terror group, which is linked to al-Qaida and was blamed for a bombing last week that killed three people including an American Green Beret, is almost wiped out but could later remerge to pose new threats.
"The Abu Sayyaf threat will be gone, in a matter of days or weeks, but it may reappear in new forms," Ople told delegates to the annual East Asia Economic Summit, organized by the World Economic Forum. Ople reiterated Manila's view that poverty breeds terrorism and said tuna trade issues can make a difference in the Philippines.
The United States is opening its market to tuna in foil pouches from Andean countries including Ecuador and Colombia, posing a grave threat to the Philippines canned tuna industry that employs 100,000 people, mostly Muslims in the south, Ople said. The Europeans are making similar moves with other trading partners that could harm the Philippine tuna exporters, he said.
In his statement the tone of the remarks by Mr. Ople is remarkable. Instead of mentioning his view that lifting of import tariffs on Philippine tuna by the US could help the Philippines in dealing with the terrorism problem, he uses harsh words and is putting pressure on the US. His words could be considered by some as a threat that terrorism will occur if the tuna tariffs are not lifted. The relation between terrorism and economic incentives has never been investigated, so it is still guessing how Mr. Ople can be so sure of his statements.
"This will kill off the Philippine tuna industry if we are not given commensurate concessions and will aggravate the terrorism threat," Ople told The Associated Press. Ople also said he sees no threat of more Abu Sayyaf attacks on American interests in the Philippines.
