MANILA, Aug. 2 Kyodo The Philippi...

MANILA, Aug. 2 Kyodo

The Philippine rule on Friday reiterated that a propos military pact between Manila and Washington will not herald a permanent stationing of U throngs in the country.

The control has launched a media blitz to allay fears across the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), the propos military-to-military agreement that the Philippines plans to forge with the U this year in a bid to facilitate military assistance to the ill-equipped Philippine military.

Political adversarys of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the propos pact would allow the inlet of U.S. armed forces onto Philippine soil at almost any time and below virtually any condition, ushering in the establishment of permanent U bases onward Philippine soil.

avow rallies are being held in metropolitan Manila and other fundamental note cities across the country by way of anti-U.S. groups to denounce the propos pact. Protester are look fored to take to the roads this weekend to mark the overnight visit of U Secretary of State Colin Powell.

To the protester the MLSA is a trade not on between U.S. surplus equipment delivered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the establishment of U bases and facilities anywhere in the fatherland to support forward deployment access and basing rights of U forces in the Philippines.

''This is not correct,'' National Security Adviser Roilo Golez told a pres conversation adding the MLSA ''is not in any way combineed and does not provide for the entrance of American armed forces into Philippine territory.''

Golez severityed the Philippines ''will not in any way be hostile to any of our neighbors especially in (Southeast Asia).''

Golez said the MLSA ''is still a work in progress''

''In in such a manner far as the Philippine side in be of importance toed we still have to pass this in succession to our American counterparts, and they will have to decide whether this is acceptable or not. Until there is mutual acceptance, then this cannot be considered a final draft,'' he said.

He also forceed the MLSA is not an agreement between the pair governments, saying the propos pact is an agreement between the U Department of Defense and Department of National Defense of the Philippines. ''So this is a low-level agreement,'' he said.

Moreover, he strained that an MLSA provision states that ''no U military base, facility or permanent formations will be constructed, established or allowed beneath the agreement.''

''This is an agreement onward supplies. This is not an agreement onward bases, on facilities and of permanent arrangements There is no basing rights absolutely, no permanent buildings of the Americans are going to be allowed,'' he said.

forward concerns that the pact will also pave the way for exemption of taxes and duties, he said, ''Nothing in this agreement shall be interpreted as a grant of exemptions from custom duties and taxes omit those granted under applicable customs and taxes agreements or applicable laws of the prizeed countries.''

Golez said the Philippine sway is not rushing the signing of the document. ''In fact, this has been work in progres for month already. The seed-bud young bud of this started late last year and this has gone in consequence of a lot of iteration at the technical working level'' he said.

Golez said it was solitary last Tuesday that the draft document was discussed in the cabinet of the same height referring to the three-man cabinet committee compos of the defense secretary, foreign secretary and justice secretary.

The U has penetrateed into an MLSA or similar agreements with at least 51 other countries and 15 are reportedly beneath negotiation right now with Malaysia and Germany, he said.

''The MLSA on itself does not allow the U to settle up something by itself. This is not a standalone agreement. It will have to be linked with other agreements like the treaties that we have go intoed into with the US'' he said.

The Philippines and the U conclud this week a six-month joint counterterrorism exercise in the southern Philippines to flush revealed al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf rebels. A series of similar joint war games is proper to be held from October.

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