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[OS] US/PHILIPPINES/MIL - Clinton Reaffirms Military Ties With the Philippines

Released on 2012-10-12 10:00 GMT

Email-ID 2284652
Date 2011-11-16 22:51:06
Clinton Reaffirms Military Ties With the Philippines 11/16/11

MANILA - During a high-profile visit to the Philippines on Wednesday,
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stood on the deck of a American
warship in Manila Bay and reaffirmed the strong military relationship
between the United States and the Philippines.

The visit comes at a time of heightening tensions in the South China Sea
related to the oil-rich Spratly Islands, which are the subject of disputed
claims by China, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations. By
some estimates, the energy reserves in the areas being disputed by the
various countries could rival those of Kuwait.

"We are making sure that our collective defense capabilities and
communications infrastructure are operationally and materially capable of
deterring provocations from the full spectrum of state and nonstate
actors," Mrs. Clinton said aboard the guided missile cruiser U.S.S.

Mrs. Clinton's visit also coincides with a trip to the region by President
Obama. On Wednesday, Mr. Obama arrived in the Australian capital of
Canberra and announced with Prime Minister Julia Gillard an agreement that
allows for an increased military presence in that country. Mr. Obama and
Mrs. Clinton will then attend the East Asian Summit in Indonesia.

While in the Philippines, Mrs. Clinton also signed a pact promoting
economic growth and attended a lively public forum in which she took
questions from the public. But her appearance on the deck of the warship -
a highly symbolic event - had greater impact for the militarily weak
Philippines as it tangles with a huge neighbor to the north over the
Spratly Islands.

"Filipinos appreciate symbolism," said Ramon Casiple, executive director
of the Manila-based Institute for Political and Economic Reform. "She did
not say anything unusual, but they saw her on a warship in Manila Bay.
They received the message."

Mrs. Clinton, whose visit was marked by relatively modest anti-American
protests at the American Embassy in Manila, reiterated Washington's
position that territorial disputes in the South China Sea should be
settled peacefully. In another gesture not lost on her local audience, she
referred to the disputed area by its locally coined name: the West
Philippine Sea.

"We are strongly of the opinion that disputes that exist primarily in the
West Philippine Sea between the Philippines and China should be resolved
peacefully," she said during a televised news conference with Philippine
secretary for foreign affairs, Albert del Rosario. "Any nation with a
claim has a right to exert it, but they do not have a right to pursue it
through intimidation or coercion."

Following its independence in 1946, the Philippines signed agreements that
allowed American military bases to operate in the country. Large American
Air Force and Navy bases were closed in the early 1990s after contentious
debate in the Philippine Senate, but the 1952 U.S.-Philippines Mutual
Defense Treaty - upon which the military relationship is based - has
remained intact.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, American military involvement in the
Philippines focused on Islamic extremist groups operating in the southern
part of the country. In recent years, broader defense coordination has
taken place, including American assistance for the outdated naval forces
of the Philippines.

The United States currently has no military bases in the Philippines,
though visits by American Navy ships and joint drills are common. In
October, the United States and the Philippines conducted war games on the
island of Palawan, 50 miles from the disputed area with China.

Mr. Casiple, the analyst, noted that the Philippine government has been
careful to balance these military gestures with the recognition that the
country needs to maintain close and cordial economic ties with China.

"The Philippines does not want to be the representative of the U.S.
military in Southeast Asia," he said. "I think the Philippine government
wants to maintain its friendship with both these great powers and not
become a ball in the middle being kicked by both sides."

Anthony Sung
221 W. 6th Street, Suite 400
Austin, TX 78701