Philippines says to meet U.S. to iron out differences on troop deal

MANILA, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The Philippines and the United
States will meet this month to iron out differences over a
two-decade-old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), Manila's top
diplomat said, amid renewed concerns in the region over China's
assertive maritime agenda.
The Philippines in November suspended its decision to
terminate the VFA for a second time to allow it to work with
Washington on a long-term mutual defence pact. "The suspension was intended that we should continue working
and I am narrowing down the issues and soon we will meet...and
iron out whatever differences we have," Foreign Affairs
Secretary Teodoro Locsin told ANC news channel on Monday, adding
a meeting was likely in the last week of February.
He declined to elaborate on the terms of a potential
agreement.
President Rodrigo Duterte notified Washington in February
last year that he was cancelling the deal amid outrage over a
senator and ally being denied a U.S. visa.
But he has extended the termination process, which has now
reached U.S. President Joe Biden's term.
The VFA provides the legal framework under which U.S. troops
can operate on a rotational basis in the country and experts say
without it their other bilateral defence agreements, including
the Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT), cannot be implemented.
Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed
the importance of the MDT and its clear application if Manila
came under attack in the South China Sea. Blinken's comments came as Manila had filed a diplomatic
protest over China's passing of a law allowing its coastguard to
open fire on foreign vessels, describing it as a "threat of
war".
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, which is a
major trade route. The Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia
and Taiwan have overlapping claims.
Locsin said he would continue to press for a code of conduct
in the disputed waters that "will never exclude" the United
States to ensure the balance of power between Washington and
Beijing in the region.