Evacuation of Filipinos from Iraq ordered

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo yesterday ordered the immediate evacuation of 118 Filipinos from Iraq amid persistent jitters in Manila over a possible outbreak of hostilities between the United States and Iraq.

Speaking to reporters, Arroyo said she has ordered the Philippine embassy in Baghdad to supervise the immediate evacuation to Amman of the Filipinos, who include workers, non-essential embassy personnel and their dependents.

The Philippine leader issued the order after receiving advice from top U.S. officials. Arroyo was quoted in a press report as saying yesterday that her government has not committed to backing a U.S. military strike on Iraq.

"We are not committed to any war and we have conveyed to the U.S. our request," Arroyo was quoted saying in an interview with the Philippine Star.

Asked to explain further, Arroyo said: "Let's leave it at that - we are not committed to any war."

Arroyo's spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, said moments before the evacuation order, Arroyo conferred with Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople, who is now in New York City.

Bunye also said that before her conversation with Ople, the president received a recommendation from Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Albert del Rosario, for the Philippines to evacuate its citizens from Baghdad.

Del Rosario, Bunye said, earlier met U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Asia and the Pacific, James Kelly.

"The U.S. representative noted that any evacuation at this point would be a very sound judgement," Bunye quoted Kelly as saying.

In a memorandum to the president, Ople said that while the Philippine government has no final information that a U.S. attack on Iraq is imminent, "our judgement is well-based and reasonable and we would err on the side of prudence."

Ople, in a telephone interview with reporters in Manila, however, clarified that the order to evacuate only applies to Filipinos in Iraq. "We have not yet reached a critical mass of information that would merit the evacuation of Filipinos in other Middle East countries."

Ople reiterated that the government was still seeking a peaceful dialogue between the United States and Iraq to resolve the latest conflict. "The Philippines continues to support diplomatic efforts for the United States and Iraq to resolve their differences peacefully through dialogue."

Based on figures provided by the government, there are an estimated 1.5 million Filipinos working in the Middle East.

Ople noted that the evacuation from Iraq is just a first step, adding that "this is not yet the major movement that we have planned for".

Based on a report by the department of foreign affairs (DFA) in Manila, there are only 118 Filipinos in Iraq, which include some 10 overseas workers and 30 Filipino technicians that form part of the UN peace-keeping force in northern Iraq.

The Filipinos will travel 1,000 kilometres by bus to Amman.

"Once they reach Amman, they are free to either go home to the Philippines or to other places where they feel they will be safe," noted DFA spokesman, Victorino Lecaros.

Also yesterday, Arroyo designated former armed forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu, to head a local crisis committee on the latest Middle East crisis.