US aid mulled in exchange for unlimited troop access

Washington is willing to give Manila much-needed military logistical assistance in exchange for unlimited US troop access to facilities in the Philippines.

In a teleconference with journalists arranged by the US Embassy in Manila, Assistant Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific James Kelly admitted from Washington that low-key negotiations are ongoing for the US to provide military logistical support to the Philippines in exchange for unlimited troop access.

Philippine diplomatic sources said Malacañang is eyeing an executive agreement for the deal to push through, which won’t require ratification by the Senate.

The negotiations, Kelly confirmed, are aimed at forging a pact on military logistical support, called the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), which is similar to the Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) that was sidetracked in 1994 due to strong opposition from various local sectors.

Kelly refused to say if the MLSA, which some sectors are likening to a new basing arrangement, would be discussed and signed when Mrs. Arroyo meets with US President George W. Bush and US military officials on Tuesday in Washington, DC.

"That (negotiation) has been going on for a while and it is a sort of day-to-day tending of our alliance," Kelly said.

Diplomatic sources, however, said President Arroyo appeared to be eager to conclude the agreement and was prepared to sign an executive agreement instead of a treaty that would have to be ratified by the Senate.

But, the source said, senators will almost certainly object to any such executive agreement and would insist on ratifying any pact that would involve granting foreign troops unlimited access to Philippine territory.

Kelly downplayed fears that Washington is asking for an agreement that would be "much larger" than the prevailing Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the two countries.

"I see changes really on the degree and not in scope. Washington is not pressing for anything that is much larger," he said

Kelly said the US is "very happy" with the VFA and Washington would continue to address security cooperation within the context of the MDT.

"Our day-to-day military interaction, training and equipment (assistance) are the sort of things that go within (the MDT) umbrella and we expect it to continue... in fact, we expect it to get better," he said.

Washington has cut down its military presence around the world over the past years and has said it does not intend to set up new permanent bases in East Asia following the shutdown of its facilities in the Philippines. The US maintains some 100,000 troops in the region, most of them in Okinawa and South Korea.

It is not known how the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington will affect American military presence in the region.

The diplomatic source said the foreign office recommended that the Chief Executive seek Senate ratification of the MLSA because a number of provisions cannot be granted by the executive branch alone.

One of the contentious issues in the MLSA is the granting of tax exemptions to services, supplies and goods that will be brought into the country.

The sources said unlimited troop access is a "very real possibility" under the MLSA and even claimed the MLSA is only a "renamed" version of the ACSA, which was placed on the back burner by the Ramos administration in 1994 due to strong opposition, especially from local militant groups.

ACSA, defense officials claimed, would only be used during "combined exercises, training, deployments, operations or other cooperative efforts and for unforeseen circumstances or exigencies."

Under the ACSA, "logistics" was defined as "food, billeting, transportation, petroleum, oils, lubricants, clothing, communication services, medical services, ammunition, use of facilities, training services, spare parts and components, repair and maintenance services and airport and seaport services."

Various sectors opposed ACSA because of fears it would pave the way for the return of US military bases and related concerns, such as toxic waste disposal and abandoned children of US servicemen.

Sources said the signing of an agreement similar to ACSA was among the purposes of the recent visit of US Admiral Dennis Blair, commander of US forces in the Pacific.

During his visit, Blair had claimed that the US was eager to help the Philippines in its equipment needs in the battle against Abu Sayyaf extremists who have been hounding the country with a string of kidnappings and other criminal activities.

Two weeks before Blair’s arrival, the US sent a group of military advisers to assess what strategic and logistical assistance it could extend to the Philippines.

The US has not said what kind of equipment it could provide but the Philippines has an extensive "wish list" of helicopters, transport planes and other equipment to increase mobility and firepower.

Officials said the military also wants unmanned aerial reconnaissance craft, thermal-imaging equipment, land mine detectors and night-vision goggles.