Reyes: Balikatan in Sulu will push through

The RP-US Balikatan 03-1 in Sulu will push through, even as both Manila and Washington are rushing to reach a compromise on the ticklish issue of combat roles for American troops in hostile territory.

Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, who is concluding a two-week trip to Washington and the US Pacific Command in Honolulu, Hawaii, said both sides are searching for the "right language" on the rules governing the conduct of US troops in Sulu.

"It (Balikatan) will push through. We are conducting talks on how to best define the roles here," Reyes told The STAR by telephone from Los Angeles, California shortly before boarding a flight to Manila.

At Malacañang, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye denied reports that Balikatan 03-1 will be suspended, saying that the joint RP-US military exercises will push through as scheduled and stressed that US troops will not be involved in combat operations against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu.

Asked when the talks would conclude and the exercises start, Reyes said, "as soon as possible."

Reyes was reacting to reports earlier that the exercises would be postponed due to controversies surrounding the role of US soldiers in the face of actual combat.

Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya accepted the President’s 90-day challenge, and said yesterday the main target of their stepped-up offensives will be to get Abu Sayyaf leader Khaddafi Janjalani, who escaped from Basilan last year.

Latest intelligence reports indicate Janjalani had relocated to Jolo, Sulu, Abaya said, adding that troops are under instructions to ensure the safety of hostages in any fighting.

Reyes said the President’s announcement had nothing to do with awaited US assistance in the country’s war against terrorism, particularly in the South.

He said the bone of contention simply lies in the distinction perceived by military officials of both countries between training and operations.

Reyes noted that in the Armed Forces, particularly in the training of elite units such as the Scout Rangers and Special Forces, recruits have to undergo a "test mission" before they can graduate.

In a test mission, the trainees are put in a difficult area, where the chance of an encounter with rebels and the risk of injury and death are relatively high.

Reyes said there is no such system in the US armed forces. All training is done through simulation and role-playing.