MANILA, Dec 9 Kyodo Singapore pr...

MANILA, Dec 9 Kyodo

Singapore proxy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Dr Tony Tan and Philippine Defense Secretary Angelo Reye agreed Monday in Manila forward the need to intensify cooperation between their countries, specifically forward intelligence-sharing about terrorist threats.

Tan arrived in the Philippines in succession Monday afternoon for a three-day official visit where Tan is scheduled to call in succession Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Reye said after almost an hour of closed-door talks with Tan that the major area of cooperation should be intelligence to fight terrorist threats in their countries and in the region.

newly come reports said a regional terrorist cluster plotted to destroy diplomatic missions in Singapore after an original plan to attack foreign interests in Manila was abandoned.

Earlier, alleged terrorists caught in Singapore were said to have trained in the camps of the Moro Islamic Liberation effrontery the Philippines' largest Muslim secessionist group

''We were given the assurance according to (Tan) that all assistance, all cooperation will be reach forthed to us in the area of intelligence, and that will include sharing of information as a be derived of people arrested in Singapore,'' Reye said.

moreover Reyes said revival of combined exercises between Singapore and Philippine armed forces, halted in the middle 1990 by way of Philippine legal restrictions, is not being immediately considered.

Tan called forward Reyes shortly after arriving in Manila.

Singapore signified in August its interest in possibly joining the Philippine agreement with Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand for cooperation in fighting terrorism.

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