CANBERRA—Leaders of Asia-Pacific nations, including the United States and China, arrived in Manila yesterday for the annual summit of the Apec (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation), which is being overshadowed by the Islamic State’s terrorist attacks in Paris last Friday.
The Philippines, which has been hosting the yearlong Apec meetings preparatory to the summit, has launched a massive security operation amid threats of new IS-sponsored terrorist assaults in Europe. It has deployed more than 30,000 military, police and civilian personnel to take part in its largest security ring in years to ensure the safety of some 7,000 officials and delegates, in a country that has a history of domestic insurgencies and turbulent disturbances of law and order.
The government is taking no chances in its extreme preparations against all possible threats to public security, including terrorism, typhoons and earthquakes. Malacañang has put the entire 160,000-member Philippine National Police as well as the 125,000-strong Armed Forces of the Philippines on full alert. While the government said “no credible threat” to the Apec activities has been received, it also announced that all contingencies had been considered in the security preparations.
In Metro Manila, permits for civilians to carry firearms were suspended for the summit week. Rallies and demonstrations are not being allowed without permits or near Apec venues. The government has encouraged the general public to take a holiday outside Metro Manila or stay home to prevent traffic congestion on city thoroughfares. More than 1,700 domestic and international flights were cancelled to ensure the smooth arrival and departure of the heads of state and delegates. The government also announced holidays for schools and state workers. A “no sail” zone has been declared on Manila Bay near the conference and entertainment complex being used for Apec activities.
The extraordinary security measures surrounding the Apec summit reflect the extent of the panic that is sweeping Europe in the wake of the terrorist attacks mounted by IS militants in Paris.
World leaders meeting for the G20 summit agreed on Monday to boost intelligence-sharing to cut off funding for terrorists and to strengthen border security in Europe as they sought to show resolve and unity following the Paris bloodbath. “We agreed that the challenge can’t just be tackled with military means, but [with] a multitude of measures,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel was reported as saying as leaders from the Group of 20 and developing countries wrapped up their two-day summit in Turkey, an Islamic country wedged between Europe and Asia Minor which has not been a hotbed of Islamic extremism.
But the G20 leaders spoke largely in broad strokes, with few specifics. Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the need to cut off the IS’ ability to generate revenues through oil smuggling, while British Prime Minister David Cameron announced plans to host a donor conference early next year to “raise new funding to tackle the flood of refugees spilling out of Syria.”
“None of this is a substitute for the next urgent call: to find a political solution that brings peace to Syria and enables the millions of refugees to return home,” Cameron said. But this plan virtually sweeps under the carpet the vicious extent of the terrorist carnage left by the attacks on Paris—an approach that is unlikely to deter the IS from further assaults in Europe.
The G20 leaders’ meeting was held against the backdrop of France’s heavy bombardment of the IS stronghold in Syria. The US government expanded its intelligence-sharing with the French government and helped it identify targets, according to American officials.
US President Barack Obama met with the leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Italy (French President Francois Hollande skipped the summit to stay home and deal with the aftermath of the attacks—the worst on French soil since World war II. Russian President Vladimir Putin, a key player in ending the conflict in Syria that created a vacuum for the IS, met separately with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Cameron. Putin and Cameron both emphasized the need for joint action against terrorism in the wake of the Paris terror attacks. “The latest tragic events in Paris show that we have to unite efforts in fighting this evil, something we should have done a long time ago,” Putin said.