Palace amenable to longer stay of American engineers in Basilan

The Philippines is amenable to letting US military engineers stay longer on Basilan island to complete infrastructure projects aimed at boosting the fight against local allies of the al-Qaeda network, an official said yesterday.

National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said "there won’t be much of a problem" regarding calls to extend the deployment of the US military engineers after joint operations between the two countries formally end in July.

But Vice President and Foreign Secretary Teofisto Guingona opposed a proposal of the Armed Forces to extend the stay of American troops engaged in socio-civic projects in Mindanao.

Guingona expressed optimism that the American soldiers and engineers will complete the construction of roads, bridges and artesian wells within the prescribed period stated in the terms of reference (TOR).

In a radio interview, Golez said, "They have projects that must be completed. These projects could be affected by bad weather in Basilan (if left unfinished.) And what we have started, we must finish."

He stressed that the US deployment in Basilan was not being extended just to rescue Martin and Gracia Burnham, an American missionary couple held by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas for almost a year.

"We have always emphasized that the reason for all this is to boost the capacity of our military to fight international terrorism and not just to rescue the Burnhams," Golez said.

The Abu Sayyaf, a notorious kidnapping group, is believed by both governments to have links to the al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the US.

The United States has deployed over 1,000 troops, including 340 military engineers in the South to help local forces in the pursuit of the Abu Sayyaf.

The US military engineers, who arrived in April, are building roads and upgrading a wharf in Basilan to help speed up the hunt for the Abu Sayyaf in that impoverished island.

They have so far rebuilt about 10 kilometers of roads, military officials said.

As provided in the TOR, the six-month Balikatan 02-1 in Zamboanga and Basilan is scheduled to end in July.

"In principle, I’m in conformity with the terms of reference. Even the American Ambassador (Francis Ricciardone Jr.) said that the social projects will be finished within the time appropriated," Guingona said.

On Sunday, the Philippine coordinator for the joint

operations, Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Teodosio, said he would recommend extending the stay of the engineers beyond July.

Leftist and opposition groups have opposed the deployment of the US forces, saying it violates the country’s sovereignty. However, most surveys show widespread support for the US presence. — AFP, Pia Lee-Brago