U.S. ADMIRAL FARGO: U.S. DETERMINED TO FLUSH OUT JI GROUP IN RP
MANILA, February 10, 2005 (STAR) The United States is determined to flush out elements of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group operating in the Philippines, the commander of US forces in the Pacific said yesterday."I think the Jemaah Islamiyah is the principal concern of the region and we’re working very closely with the government of the Philippines to make sure that the JI is not present in the Philippines," said Admiral Thomas Fargo, who is ending his four-year tour of duty as head of the Pacific Command (Pacom).
Fargo made the statement in a farewell call at Malacañang, where he was asked to comment on intelligence reports of JI members working with local Muslim rebels in Mindanao.
President Arroyo conferred the Philippine Legion of Honor, the country’s highest honor with the rank of commander, on Fargo, who was accompanied by US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone to Malacañang.
Fargo’s visit to Manila was "part of a routine trip" throughout the region that will include a stop in Japan, the US Embassy said. It did not say who would replace him as Pacom head.
"I’m deeply honored by this award. The United States and the Philippines work very closely together for regional security (and) I’ve been honored to play a very small part in that," Fargo told Palace reporters after the brief awarding rites.
"But our real success is the strength of this relationship and the close cooperation that we have together regionally to deal with all the threats to peace and stability," Fargo stressed.
The Indonesia-based JI, which aims to create a separate Islamic state in Southeast Asia, is not officially known to have established camps in the Philippines, but it is widely suspected to have ties with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Philippine security officials say JI operatives have conducted arms training, including bomb-making, in Mindanao in the past.
The Philippine military has long alleged that the separatist MILF has provided refuge to JI militants. The rebel leadership denies this.
The al-Qaeda-linked JI is blamed for the October 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia in which 202 people, mostly foreigners, were killed.
Senior Philippine defense officials led by Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz met with Fargo in Honolulu, Hawaii last December and reviewed programs on the war on terror as well as defense reform initiatives of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Fargo, who is described by the US Embassy as the senior commander of the US military, air, ground and naval forces in the Pacific and Indian Ocean areas, expressed satisfaction with the Philippine Defense Reform initiative as presented to CINPAC for support.
"I think the defense reform program that the President has initiated is excellent. I’ve looked at it very carefully. I just completed extensive discussions with Washington D.C. on it," he said.
If "properly funded," Fargo said the program would have a "very positive impact" on reform efforts within the AFP.
He did not elaborate on the program, which is intended to upgrade the Philippines military, which is regarded as one of the weakest in the region despite the threats it faces from communist insurgents and Muslim guerrillas.
While in Manila, Fargo also met with senior officials of the defense department headed by Cruz and AFP chief Gen. Efren Abu.
He defended the presence of 73 American military intelligence operatives in Mindanao whose existence created a storm of controversy after Ricciardone revealed their presence in the South.
"Our relationship is one of providing training and assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines. There is nothing new here, nothing has changed," Fargo pointed out.
Amid renewed threats by renegade rebels to the ongoing peace process in the southern Philippines, Ricciardone has said the American military trainers are there to help in intelligence-gathering and anti-terrorism tactics.
Malacañang has rejected calls to send the US spies away. Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye reiterated Mrs. Arroyo’s stand to maintain intelligence fusion and assistance from the US in line with the international campaign against terrorism.
Fargo said such training has in fact been going on for a number of years under the existing RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty of 1959 and is regularly updated by joint military training programs, the most well-known of which is the annual "Balikatan" war games.
The latest program, established three years ago according to Fargo, included training for the elite Light Reaction Companies and Light Infantry Battalions and would "provide the kind of intelligence fusion that would support" the AFP.
"This a long-standing program and I think it has produced a more capable military," he said, noting "President (Arroyo) said she was very appreciative of the support the United States has provided."
Meanwhile, Fargo said there would not be much change in RP-US military relations with his successor at CINPAC.
"I think you ought to expect a solid commitment from the Pacific Command to support peace, stability and prosperity to the government of the Philippines," he said.
"The United States and the Philippines are long-standing treaty allies and great partners. I have had the pleasure of knowing the President these four years and our relationship is very strong," he added.
Fargo flew to Manila from the CINPAC homebase of Honolulu for his fifth and last visit to the country as Pacific Command chief since he assumed the post in May 2002.
In its news release, the US Embassy said Fargo’s responsibilities as senior commander of the US military force in the Pacific and Indian Ocean include "oversight of all US military activities and promoting peace and stability in a region that encompasses more than 50 percent of the earth’s surface, (has) 16 time zones, and borders 43 countries with approximately 60 percent of the world’s population." — Marichu Villanueva, With AFP
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2005
by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved