Tariff breaks, Mindanao aid top GMA wish list during US trip

President Arroyo is seeking "diplomatic and financial aid" for the troubled island of Mindanao and tariff breaks for key farm products during her state visit to the United States, Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople said.

Mrs. Arroyo and US President George W. Bush were to meet Monday and announce the commitment of the US administration to "help restore peace and stability in Mindanao," Ople said in his newspaper column yesterday.

Bush is to pledge to "provide diplomatic and financial assistance if the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) ceases its terrorist acts and the climate is restored for the resumption of peace negotiations between it and the Philippine government."

Ople, writing from Washington, said he and US Secretary of State Colin Powell were also to sign a series of bilateral agreements "addressing peace and order problems in Mindanao, further cooperation in counter-terrorism measures, and US assistance to Philippine law-enforcement."

The US Congress has already allocated some $30 million for peace and development in the southern Philippines, Ople added, but provided no further details.

The President and Bush are also expected to "agree to a comprehensive review of the modernization requirements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and how the US can best help in this effort," even as Mrs. Arroyo ordered selective air and artillery strikes on terrorist cells in Mindanao.

Before departing for the US Saturday, the President said she had "authorized the AFP to employ selective aerial and artillery attacks to dislodge embedded terrorist cells."

She has also threatened to declare the MILF a "terrorist organization" unless the 12,500-strong rebel group ceases a wave of attacks that have claimed nearly 100 lives in Mindanao since March.

The MILF, which responded Saturday to the threat of military strikes with warnings it will "hit back... and hit hard," has denied responsibility for the attacks, which include the bombing of two airports and a wharf.

Small numbers of US military advisers have been deployed to Mindanao to train local troops hunting the Abu Sayyaf, which has been labeled a terrorist group by both Manila and Washington.

On the economic front, Ople said Bush was expected to announce approval of Mrs. Arroyo’s request for the tariff-free entry of eight Philippine products under the Generalized System of Trade Preferences.

Trade Secretary Manuel Roxas II said last week that Manila hoped to win a billion dollars annually in benefits from the zero-tariff entry of Philippine dried mangoes, pineapple juice, seaweed products and tuna into US markets.

Meanwhile, the President arrived in Los Angeles ahead of schedule for the first stopover of her US state visit and was welcomed with brief and simple arrival honors.

Mrs. Arroyo immediately proceeded to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel before going to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels to attend a special Mass with over 3,000 overseas Filipinos.

After spending the night in Los Angeles, the President will board a chartered plane for Washington DC for the formal state visit today. Upon arrival in Washington, Mrs. Arroyo will be accorded the elaborate military honors befitting a state visitor to the US.

This is the second time she will meet with Bush at the White House. In November last year, Bush received Mrs. Arroyo during a working visit.

The President was one of the first world leaders to express full support for the US-led global war on terrorism. The Philippines was also a member of the "coalition of the willing" that backed the US-led war in Iraq.

Last year, the US government deployed some 1,000 special forces troops to Mindanao for joint military exercises with Philippine soldiers and resulted in the creation and training of a light reaction company. — AFP, Mayen Jaymalin