ILOILO
CITY, Philippines, February 11 (IslamOnline.net) - Anticipating tension
with neighboring countries over the conduct of a military exercise with
the American military in the disputed Spratly Islands, President Gloria
Arroyo announced on Wednesday, February 11, that the war games have
nothing to do with the Philippines’ claim over the territory.
“This
has nothing to do with the Spratlys issue which is being resolved
through regional consensus and diplomacy,” Arroyo stressed in an
effort to avert an outbreak of tension with neighboring states which
claim sovereignty over the group of islands in the South China Sea.
“The
arrival of the U.S. troops this month is part of the continuing program
of RP-U.S. military training exercises, which are important to our
internal and external security as well as to the global fight against
terrorism,” she said in an official statement released on Wednesday.
Vice
Chief of Staff in the Philippines Armed Forces, Lieutenant General
Rodolfo Garcia announced on Tuesday, February 10, that 2,300 Filipino
soldiers will be joined by 2,500 American troops in the joint military
training exercises.
The
annual combat and live-fire maneuvers called “Balikatan '04” will be
held from February 23 to March 4. It will focus on conventional warfare
with some input on counter-terrorism. Garcia said the training would
involve command post exercises, cross-training and field training
exercises and civil and humanitarian assistance programs.
It
would be held in the provinces of Batanes and Palawan, where the Spratly Islands are located. Other venues are Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija
province, the former U.S. military facility Clark Air Base in Pampanga,
Crow Valley in Zambales and the Marine base in Ternate, Cavite.
The
first batch of American soldiers will arrive on February 13. The U.S.
team is bringing 46 assorted aircraft including the C-12 Galaxy
transport aircraft, the C-130 Hercules cargo and personnel transport
craft and the CH-53 and CH-46 transport choppers.
Aircraft
from the Philippine Air Force include the OV-10 attack aircrafts, the
MG-520s and SF-260s and other choppers. Patrol gunboats from the
Philippine Navy will also be used.
Prepared
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300
Filipino soldiers will be joined by 2,500 U.S. troops in the joint
war games
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The
annual exercises, launched under a 1951 defense treaty to prepare the
longtime military allies for joint combat, are aimed at dealing with
external threats but would also deal in part with anti-terrorism
scenarios, Philippine exercise director, Brigadier General Rafael Romero
said. "This is not aimed at any singular threat," he said.
"We just want to be prepared ahead of any crisis."
Arroyo
also said that the country’s "strategic relationship with the
United States is important for political and economic security-serving
peace and stability in the region and bringing peace of mind to every
Filipino."
"But
this relationship is an instrument of goodwill and is not aimed at any
nation or foe. These strategic underpinnings are inherent in our
platform of governance and they have contributed to the confidence of
other nations in the Philippines," she emphasized.
Tension
might arise should the neighboring states of China, Brunei, Malaysia,
Taiwan and Vietnam, which all claim Spratlys to be part of their
territories, raise an issue over the conduct of military training
exercises on the chain of islands in the South China Sea, which are
believed to sit on vast mineral resources.
In
November 2003, the Philippine government posed to raise a diplomatic
protest with China over the sighting of their research vessels and
warships in the area. It was, however, not pursued after a negotiation
with the Chinese officials.
The
“Spratlys issue” is considered a potential flashpoint in the region.
Vietnam and China have clashed twice over the Spratlys, in 1988 and
1992, and since the 1990s, the Philippines has been concerned over a
Chinese installation on the Spratlys atoll of Mischief Reef.
The
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Brunei,
Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, signed an accord with China last
year calling on all the claimants to the Spratlys to avoid actions which
may heighten tensions there.
The
Spratlys consist of several hundred islands, reefs and sea mountains,
with a total land area of less than five square kilometers and scattered
across approximately 800,000 square kilometers of the South China Sea.
China
and Taiwan claim the entire chain. China occupies or has placed markers
on seven to 10 reefs in the Spratlys, while Taiwan occupies one of the
largest islands, known as Taipung or "Itu Abu".
Vietnam,
Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines claim only some parts, based on
proximity to their shores. All the claimants, except Brunei, have
stationed troops in the area. Japan, which controlled the islands for
most of the first half of the century, formally renounced sovereignty
claims in 1951.
While
guano (used as fertilizer) and fish are the only verified resources,
there is long standing speculation that the Spratlys lie above
considerable oil and natural gas deposits. Chinese sources in 1995
estimated reserves to be in the vicinity of 17.7 billion tons of oil and
gas.
Spratlys - Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands) of China