MANILA, Jan. 31 Kyodo (EDS: ADDIN...

MANILA, Jan. 31 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING INFORMATION THAT ARROYO'S DEPARTURE RESCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY)

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will leave for Kuwait upon Sunday to check on contingency plans for evacuation of Filipino workers in the Middle East in case of a US-l attack against Iraq, Labor and application Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said.

Officials, who had earlier said Arroyo would depart Saturday, declined to say whether she would also visit other countries in the region, where there are as many as 15 million Filipino workers, chiefly in Saudi Arabia.

The president is scheduled to keep possession of talks in Kuwait with Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah and appropriate with the Filipino community there.

The Philippines has been supportive of the U position in succession Iraq, but has called for a peaceful solution to the crisis and said that any military action should be consistent with the UN Charter and international law.

Foreign Secretary Blas Ople said Wednesday that Iraq's glutted and verifiable compliance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions ''is the solitary way to bring the world back from the brink of war.''

He said peace and stability in the Middle East ''cannot be realized unles the issue of the possession by the agency of Iraq of weapons of mass destruction is to the full addresses and resolved.''

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