Clinton to meet with PGMA, Romulo in whirlwind Manila visit, says DFA

By Gloria Jane Baylon

MANILA, Nov. 8 (PNA) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to meet with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at Malacanang on November 12, on the first day of her first-ever visit to the Philippines since assuming the highest United States diplomatic post in January this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Saturday.

The DFA also confirmed that Clinton will meet with her counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo, during the 24-hour whirlwind visit. She is due to depart from Manila on November 13 for Singapore to meet with other Southeast Asian senior officials.

In a statement issued this afternoon, Romulo said the visit “is a good opportunity for the Philippine and U.S. governments to have substantial discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest -- disaster management, the Mindanao peace process, climate change, and nuclear non-proliferation.”

The Secretary of State is on an Asian tour on her way to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings and the Leaders' Summit scheduled in Singapore from November 10 to 19.

In announcing Clinton’s two-day visit to Manila, U.S. Department spokesperson Ian Kelly said it “highlights Philippines-US treaty alliance.”

Diplomatic sources, who asked not to be named, say Filipinos would have been offended if Clinton — who has been in the area a few times before — would not drop by the Philippines in view of the Washington-Manila close and historic friendship.

The State Secretary has apparently responded to such sensitivity, they said, by breaking out of her busy meetings in the early stages of the APEC sessions in Singapore by being in Manila on November 12 and 13. p>After visiting other regional capitals, Clinton will return to Singapore to join President Barack Obama at the APEC Leaders' Meeting on November 19.

The DFA did not give details of the meetings, but it is believed that President Arroyo will express her concern about climate change, the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and the bilateral issue of U.S. security assistance to the Philippines, among others.

Recently, a legislation for a US$ 2-million appropriation for security assistance to Manila is said to be in peril of being withheld because of conditions for improved human rights implementations by the government.

The current status of the legislation "is not final," however, and the DFA believes it would push as desired because Obama himself had asked for the deletion of the conditions.

In fact, according to the DFA, the U.S. Congress has pushed for higher U.S. military assistance to the Philippines compared to previous years’ levels.

As to the Mindanao peace process, U.S. Ambassador to Manila Kristie Kenney said last week that the U.S. is "supportive" of a roadmap for peace, but it depends on both the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to determine what exactly the U.S. role would be.

"It's up to the Philippine government and the separatist MILF to determine what role the U.S. will play in the peace process," she was quoted as saying. In the meantime, she added, the U.S. will just observe where the directions of negotiations and possible peace talks are leading.

The Philippines chairs the session on NPT in New York City this December. (PNA)