MANILA, Philippines April 28 (ENS) — United States President Barack Obama stressed his country’s’ role in an increasingly turbulent world situation as one wherein military force would only be used as a “last resort.”
In a joint press conference with Philippine President Benigno Aquino III in Malacanang, Obama said that there would always be territorial disputes around the world but the use of military force had been proven by history as something that should be done as a last recourse.
“My job as commander in chief is to deploy military force as a last resort and to deploy it wisely,” Obama said.
But the U.S. leader also said that “if there are occasions where targeted clear actions can be taken that would make a difference, then we should take it.”
Obama, who is in his last leg of his four-nation Asian tour, said that he was aware “that there will always be territorial disputes around the world.” He started his tour in Japan, and then also visited South Korea and Malaysia before going to Manila.
Incidentally, all four countries have disputes with China.
Obama noted that even the US also “has territorial disputes with some of our closest allies.”
“But we don’t go around sending ships and threatening folks,” he said, in what seemed to be a criticism of China’s recent actions with its Asian neighbors, particularly those with similar claims in what it considers their territorial waters.
“What we do is we sit down and we have some people in a room. It’s boring, it’s not exciting. But it’s usually a good way to work out these problems, to work out these issues,” Obama said in roomful of foreign and local journalists in Malacanang.
He said that from his discussions with leaders of the Asian nations he had visited in his fifth Asian tour, all of them would like to resolve the dispute with China “peacefully and diplomatically.”
That is why Obama said he considers the approach taken by President Aquino to put before international arbitration the matter of resolving the Philippine’s dispute with China as a “sound one”
And if China listens to its neighbor-countries, it would find that it has “ready and willing partners throughout the Asia Pacific region to help them in trade and commerce,” Obama said.
This is Obama’s first visit to the Philippines which he calls America’s oldest security ally in Asia.
Obama said he believes China is still interested in abiding by international law although it could easily be a superpower itself because of its sheer size. (Eagle News Service)