WASHINGTON (Islamweb & News Agencies) - The United States said on Tuesday it would boost military and economic aid to the Philippines for its fight against religious Muslim separatists, calling it an extension of the U.S.-led war against terrorism.
"We're going to fight terror wherever exists. And we will work with our allies and friends to use whatever resources we have to win the war," President George W. Bush said at a meeting with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
In a joint statement issued afterward, Bush said the United States would provide nearly 100 million in "security assistance" to help the Arroyo administration combat Abu Sayyaf, a religious rebel group which operates in the country's south.
Washington believes the group has links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
The military package would include UH-1 "Huey" helicopters for close air support of troops going after the separatist movement, as well as patrol craft and M-16 rifles, a White House official said.
Arroyo was seeking 12 AH-1 "Cobra" attack helicopters and four C-130 transport planes, but it was unclear if the United States would provide them.
The Philippines was also seeking an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft of the type used by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in the current campaign in Afghanistan.
The drone would be dedicated to "target acquisition and surveillance" and would help gather intelligence, according to the Filipino shopping list presented to the U.S. military. A copy was made available to Reuters by Philippine Defence Secretary Angelo Reyes.
On top of the military assistance, Bush said he would ask Congress to provide the Philippines with over 1 billion in trade benefits and declared the country eligible for debt relief under a forest conservation program. Up to 430 million in debt owed to the United States could be affected.
In addition, the White House said it would provide guarantees for agricultural exports worth 150 million, food aid of up to 40 million and a 200 million line of credit through the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
Bush said he would also ask Congress to free up 29 million to help ease poverty, boost economic growth and combat corruption in the Philippines. Reaching out to Muslims, Bush said he wanted to more than double U.S. assistance to the southern island of Mindanao, where the bloodiest battles have been fought between Philippine troops and the Islamic Resistance.
Ties between Washington and Manila are warmer than at any time since the Philippine Senate voted to close U.S. military bases there 10 years ago.
The Philippines has since opened its bases as staging points for the U.S.-led campaign against al Qaeda and its Taliban protectors in Afghanistan.
Bush, in turn, pledged to "cooperate in any way she (Arroyo) suggests in getting rid of Abu Sayyaf."