RP, U.S. strike military agreement

RP, U.S. strike military agreement

MANILA (AP): Philippine and U.S. officials have concluded a
new military agreement to cover visits by Filipino soldiers to
the United States, a senior official said on Tuesday.

The accord complements an earlier pact, the Visiting Forces
Agreement, that would allow the resumption of large-scale joint
military exercises in the Philippines, Foreign Secretary Domingo
Siazon said.

Siazon, who referred to the second agreement as VFA-2, said it
governed the entry of Filipino defense personnel and their
dependents into the United States and included guidelines on
jurisdiction over Filipino soldiers who committed crimes while in
U.S. territory.

He said the agreement would be submitted to a Cabinet
committee in charge of security this week.