January 21, 2002, AFP, Philippines rules out permanent US bases in fight against Abu Sayyaf,

January 21, 2002, AFP, Philippines rules out permanent US bases in fight against Abu Sayyaf,

US troops will not be allowed to set up permanent bases in operations against groups linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network in the southern Philippines, a presidential adviser said.

Retired general Eduardo Ermita was reacting to concerns expressed by leftwing groups that the joint operations with Filipino soldiers would be expanded into a campaign against communist guerillas.

The New People's Army (NPA), a 12,000-member Maoist guerrilla group in the Philippines, is part of Washington's global "terrorist blacklist."

The two governments say the US troops would advise their Filipino counterparts in a campaign to crush the Abu Sayyaf Muslim guerrilla group holding a US Christian missionary couple and a Filipina nurse as hostages in southern Basilan island.

Scores of US troops are already in the southern city of Zamboanga setting up a temporary command base for the six-month campaign involving at least 650 American soldiers.

The main exercises, which could likely involve potentially dangerous missions against the Abu Sayyaf, are to begin in February.

"We would not allow the situation to spread out (of the main southern island of) Mindanao, much more letting it spread all over the Philippines," Ermita said.

He pointed out that the Philippine constitution barred the United States from setting up a permanent military base or facilities in the country.

"That definitely will not happen because that is not allowed in our constitution."

Ermita said joint training exercises in the south were intended to "address the present crop of terrorists right there in Basilan."

He said he hoped the communist leadership would not use the US deployment in the south as an excuse of pulling out of peace talks with Manila, suspended since last year after the NPA assassinated two legislators.