Philippine intelligence to continue monitoring activities of Iraqi diplomat

AP | 2/11/03 | OLIVER TEVES

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MANILA, Philippines, Feb 11, 2003 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- The Philippine government said Tuesday it will continue to monitor the activities of an Iraqi diplomat for alleged links to a Philippine Muslim extremist group, the Abu Sayyaf.

The Iraqi Embassy denied a Philippine intelligence report, announced by Foreign Secretary Blas Ople on Monday, that Iraqi Consul Husham Husain received a call from an Abu Sayyaf member shortly after a bombing that killed three people, including an American Green Beret, in southern Zamboanga city last year.

The Abu Sayyaf member, who was not identified, was later arrested. Authorities offered no other details of the alleged incident.

"Allegations of diplomatic involvement in terrorism constitute a grave matter anywhere in the world and should be dealt with vigilance and immediacy," presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said. "The investigation should leave no stone unturned, and the results must be made known to the Filipino people and the international community."

Husain denied the allegation. "This is not true. I have nothing else to say," he told The Associated Press Monday.

The embassy said in a statement that the accusation against Husain was "baseless" and challenged authorities to show evidence. It assured the Philippine government "that no one of its staff did or will do any kind of communications" with dissident groups or separatist movements, including the Abu Sayyaf.

Ople on Monday confronted Iraqi Charge d'Affaires Samir A-Masih Bolus about the intelligence report. Interviewed by reporters Tuesday, Bolus said: "We are not doing anything that is wrong and we don't expect any kind of harassment."

Ople said Husain should be subject to disciplinary action if it is proven that he was in contact with Muslim extremists involved in terrorist acts.

Foreign Undersecretary Lauro Baja said there will be "time to present concrete and specific proof" against Husain.

"We have put on notice that this diplomat is doing acts not consistent with his diplomatic function and the expectation is that they will do something about it," Baja said.

In January 1991, shortly after the outbreak of the Gulf War, Manila expelled Iraqi Charge d'Affaires Muwafak al-Ani after an Iraqi man was killed and another wounded in the premature detonation of a bomb believed intended for a U.S. cultural center in suburban Makati.

The planned bombing appeared to be an initial attempt by Iraq to carry out a threat of global terrorism in response to the U.S.-led assault to force its military out of Kuwait.

Philippine authorities have arrested several suspected Abu Sayyaf guerrillas blamed for a series of bombings in the southern Philippines last year, including an Oct. 2 attack that killed a U.S. soldier and two Filipinos outside an army camp in Zamboanga, about 860 kilometers (530 miles) south of Manila.

American soldiers trained Filipino troops last year on how to better fight Abu Sayyaf guerrillas on Basilan island, near Zamboanga.

The group has been loosely linked to the al-Qaida terror network and is on the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations.

By OLIVER TEVES Associated Press Writer= ap_topic:General;

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Manila expels Iraqi envoy

MANILA: The Philippines expelled a senior Iraqi diplomat yesterday accused of consorting with terrorists and
gave him 48 hours to leave Manila.

Foreign Secretary Blas Ople summoned Iraqi charge d'affaires Samir Bolus to his office to inform him that his
office had withdrawn “the accreditation of the Second Secretary Husham Hussein.”

“And I requested that Mr Hussein leave the country within 48 hours,” Ople said.

“Minister Bolus accepted this request and expressed the hope that despite of this incident, Philippines-Iraq
relationship will go on.”

Ople also asked the Iraqi embassy to “see to the departure of Hussein within 48 hours.”

Hussein “has ceased to enjoy the rights and privileges of a diplomat of the embassy of Iraq,” Ople told Bolus.

Bolus, meanwhile, committed to “refrain from any acts that might exacerbate the situation,” Ople said.

Hussein has been accused of having been in contact with an alleged Abu Sayyaf rebel shortly after a deadly
October bombing in southern Zamboanga city that left three people dead, including a US soldier.

Iraqi embassy officials could not be reached for comment.

The mission on Tuesday denied any of its staff were linked to terrorist organisations and challenged Manila to
prove its accusation. – AFP