RIYADH, 1 October — Al-Qaeda operative Ramzi Yousef had planned to assassinate then US President Bill Clinton in November 1994 while he was on a state visit to the Philippines. He had also plotted to kill Pope John Paul II in Manila and to hijack and destroy eleven airliners in mid-air over Asia.
This was disclosed by former President Fidel Ramos in his lecture “Prospects for East Asian Integration: The Philippine View” delivered at the Institute of Diplomatic Studies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, yesterday. Senior officials of the ministry, including Dr. Sa’ad Al-Ammar, director of the institute, were among those present.
Pointing out that the Philippines was among the first to experience terrorism unleashed by the Al-Qaeda network which was linked with the Abu Sayyaf group, Ramos said he had passed on the information to the US government.
However, it did not take any cognizance of the threat. It was found later that Ramzi Yousef was involved in the bombing of the World Trade Center in February 1993.
Ramos was referring to the activities of the Al-Qaeda network in the Philippines to drive home the point that his country, like Saudi Arabia, has suffered from terrorism.
Together with security concerns, both countries should strengthen their mutual cooperation in the context of globalization which has dictated the need for creating economies of scale.
Saudi Arabia, as a member of the GCC, should also carve out its niche in the global economy. “They can create scale for themselves only by joining or forming regional blocs.”
In the interactive session that followed, Ramos was asked on his reference to terrorism which, according to him, was a byproduct of global poverty, “a breeding ground of envy, alienation and resentment.”
On a senior official’s remark that terrorism needs to be defined especially in the context of the Palestinian struggle which Israel was seeking to suppress through brute force, Ramos said that the Philippines understands the genesis of the struggle and that it supports the Palestinians’ right to their homeland.
He also said the Philippine government does not favor any unilateral action by the United States that has not been mandated by the UN Security Council.
Later, at a press conference held at the Royal Conference Palace, it was revealed that a Saudi-Philippine Business Council will be set up to promote trade relations between the two countries.
Ramos, whose nine-member trade delegation met with Saudi businessmen at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday, said Philippine businessmen identified trade and investment opportunities during the talks with their Saudi counterparts.
Elaborating on his remarks, Marivel S. Carandang, CEO of Grupo Filipino said a Saudi businessman has expressed interest in manufacturing Philippine furniture in the Kingdom.
“Currently, the Kingdom is importing wooden furniture from a western country, which in turn sources it from the Philippines. The Saudis find it much cheaper to manufacture the furniture locally in the Kingdom,” Marivel said.
The ex-president said Philippine exports to the Kingdom stood at around $39 million last year, representing a slight fall over the figures for 2000.
The balance of trade is in favor of Saudi Arabia, which had a $1.016 billion surplus in 2000.
As part of their strategy to promote trade and investment, he would favor inviting a Saudi business delegation to Muslim Mindanao, which is rich in natural resources.
“We have a highly skilled manpower, especially in the knowledge-based industry. So we would explore the possibility of increasing manpower supply,” he said, adding that Filipino contract workers send $8 billion in remittances annually back home.