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.