The Hindu : More work to be done, says U.S.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 17, 2002

International

International

More work to be done, says U.S.

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE APRIL. 16. The United States is interested in keeping American troops in the Philippines beyond the stipulated six-month period to tackle the Abu Sayyaf in the southern part of the country. ``There is more work to be done....Our two Governments are talking about how to continue in order to achieve our objectives, which is the elimination of the Abu Sayyaf and the restoration of conditions for prosperity in the region,'' Admiral Dennis Blair, U.S. Pacific Commander, said at a press conference today.

A joint military exercise', involving American and Filipino troops, has been taking place on the Basilan island since January. While the claim is that the American involvement is limited to the exercise', there have been suggestions that the U.S. troops are playing a more active role in dealing with the Abu Sayyaf. An American missionary couple, Martin and Gracie Burnham, have been held by the Abu Sayyaf group for over 10 months on Basilan island. There have been reports that a "ransom deal'' is being negotiated to free them.

However, Admiral Blair said today that he was not aware of it. ``I don't follow other aspects of the Burnham situation....The part that I am concerned with is continuing to apply greater and greater military pressure on the Abu Sayyaf, so that they will clearly see that it is in their interest to release the Burnhams and Deborah Yap (a local nurse) unharmed.''

The deployment of American troops in the Philippines is seen as part of the "war on terrorism'' that was declared by the U.S. President, George W. Bush, after the September 11 events. According to Admiral Blair, the operations were part of the desire of nations in the region and of the United States to destroy the "seams of lawlessness which interfered with the ability of citizens to better their lives and increase economic activity''. He said that September 11 reflected how a few could pose a threat to so many and had made Asia-Pacific nations come together in efforts to fight terrorism.

``Of course, all armed forces are responsible for sovereignty....But we have learned that beyond that there is a common band of interest that we can cooperate on,'' he said. The U.S. military official claimed that the U.S., which had permanent bases in the Philippines till 1992, had no interest in establishing a permanent presence in the Philippines. There have been concerns in the Philippines that the U.S. might just like to stick around — but, so far, their focus seems to be on freeing the American couple and refining the skills of Filipino troops to tackle the Abu Sayyaf.

However, since January this year, there has been no spectacular success as far as netting the top leadership of the Abu Sayyaf or freeing the Burnham couple is concerned. Dealing with militant groups like the Abu Sayyaf in specific local conditions is no easy task despite the obvious benefit of technology that the U.S. military enjoys. Talk of extending the period of the original six-month exercise can only point to one thing — that American troops will remain in the Philippines much longer than envisaged. The issue of a permanent or temporary presence is irrelevant — American troops are likely to stay till they are `required'.

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