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.