Britain, Philippines to hold exercises

Britain, Philippines to hold exercises

MANILA (AFP): British Defense Secretary Michael Portillo
signed a defense accord with the Philippines yesterday, allowing
British troops to hold joint exercises with Filipino soldiers in
1997, the year London hands back Hong Kong to Beijing.

The two sides also agreed to a "mutual examination of export
possibilities of defense systems and equipment," he said.

In the future, Britain would be willing to look into local
investment, transfer of technology and "reciprocal arrangements,"
Portillo added.

Philippine Defense Secretary Renato de Villa said similar
defense agreements with other countries would follow although he
would not identify them.

The Philippines, embroiled with China in a dispute in the
Spratly islands in the South China Sea, has allocated US$2
billion for a military modernization program, but has yet to
appropriate the funds for weapons systems, aircraft and gunboats.