Uncertainty clouds RP-U.S. agreement<\/p>\n
The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) between the
\nPhilippines and the United States is expected to be signed during
\nor immediately after the visit here of U.S. Secretary of State
\nColin Powell later this week.<\/p>\n
Since the negotiations began since President Gloria Macapagal-
\nArroyo's visit to the U.S. last January, no one is certain
\nwhether the MLSA would establish new U.S. bases, which are
\nforbidden by the Philippine Constitution following the withdrawal
\nof these bases in 1992 after the Senate made a historic vote
\nrejecting a new bases treaty.<\/p>\n
All we have are assurances that: (1) no new bases will be
\nestablished; (2) the constitutional ban will be respected and (3)
\nthe MLSA is not a treaty but an executive agreement that does not
\nrequire Senate ratification.<\/p>\n
The MLSA seeks to allow the U.S. to provide \"logistic
\nsupplies, support and services\" in the pursuit of its security
\ncommitments to the Philippines, within the framework of the
\nVisiting Forces Agreement and the Mutual Defense Treaty.<\/p>\n
\"Support and services\" includes billeting, transport and
\ncommunication facilities, construction incident to operations and
\nstorage services.<\/p>\n
It is not clear how long these facilities will be in place,
\nand this is the source of fears that, given the U.S. concerns in
\nAsia in connection with its campaign against international
\nterrorism, the facilities could become more or less permanent and
\nthe presence of U.S. forces could be open-ended.<\/p>\n
The American and Philippine governments have decided to steer
\nclear of the political traps of Senate ratification by treating
\nthe MLSA as an executive agreement.<\/p>\n
The MLSA could be signed even before we know its contents. To
\nget public support for the MLSA, it is not enough that the
\nPresident and new Foreign Secretary Blas Ople echo the assurance
\nof U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone that it is but a
\n\"relatively low-level agreement between military to military\".<\/p>\n
Ricciardone said the provision is \"a simple kind of accounting
\nprocedure between us and other friendly countries ... We do
\nthings for you, and you do things for us and we agree how to
\naccount for it with each other.\"<\/p>\n
The possibility of putting up fixed bases as the anchor of
\nU.S. strategic defense like it was during the Cold War is deemed
\nremote. Bases are now considered expensive and politically messy.<\/p>\n
Bases have been replaced by capability for flexible and mobile
\ndeployment of forces in trouble spots. But there is uncertainty
\nthat the facilities to be established under the agreement could
\nserve as platforms for U.S. forces engaged in military action in
\nthird countries that are targets of the war on terrorism.<\/p>\n
If the MLSA is just an \"accounting procedure\" then there
\nshould be no problem disclosing its contents before it is signed.
\nBut from the definition of logistic, support and supplies, the
\nMLSA may be more than a technical procedure.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/uncertainty-clouds-rp-us-agreement-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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