NEXT STEPS ON VISITING FORCES AGREEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANILA 000438 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/26/2019 TAGS: CASC KCRM MARR PREL RP SUBJECT: NEXT STEPS ON VISITING FORCES AGREEMENT REF: MANILA 307 Classified By: A/DCM Thomas B. Gibbons, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Arroyo Administration is showing increasingly strong public support for the Visiting Forces Agreement, despite continued calls from some Filipino legislators and activists for abrogation of the Agreement. On February 25, the Philippine government filed a motion asking the Philippine Supreme Court to "clarify" its February 11 decision ordering the Philippine government to immediately negotiate with the U.S. detention facilities under Philippine authorities for Marine LCpl Smith, convicted in 2006. In close consultation with the Ambassador, Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs have publicly defended the Visiting Forces Agreement, emphasizing the extensive benefits the Philippines receives from its strong security relationship with the U.S. But the current breathing space is only temporary, as the Philippine Supreme Court is unlikely to agree to reconsider its decision, and will continue to press the Philippine government to reopen discussions with the U.S. on appropriate detention facilities for Smith under Philippine authorities. Meanwhile, with two of the largest U.S.-Philippine military bilateral exercises due to begin in April and May, and thousands of U.S. forces visiting the Philippines, we believe it is time to put in motion an incremental course of action to clarify custody arrangements under the Visiting Forces Agreement in a way that does not open renegotiation of the broader nature of the Agreement. END SUMMARY. -------------- MEDIA, SENATORS CRITICAL OF VFA -------------- ¶2. (C) In the two weeks following the Philippine Supreme Court's February 11 decision that, although the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) was constitutional, Marine Lance Corporal Smith should be returned to Philippine custody (reftel),this issue has been front page news on a daily basis. However, despite a generally critical air in leading newspapers and regular calls for abrogating the VFA, several columnists have opined that, while the current situation surrounding LCpl Smith is problematic, greater attention should be directed to clarifying the language of the VFA to prevent a recurrence of the legal confusion that has surrounded the Smith case. ¶3. (C) Along with media outlets and some leftist organizations that continue to fan controversy over the VFA, the Philippine Senate announced on February 16 that it would hold a hearing February 19 regarding the custody of LCpl Smith. The meeting was canceled without notice, but opposition senators did file a resolution calling for the termination of the VFA for violating the Philippine Constitution. Currently 8 out of 23 senators have expressed support for the resolution, but it appears unlikely that a majority of the Senate will take that position. -------------- ARROYO ADMINISTRATION SHOWING SUPPORT -------------- ¶4. (C) While opposition legislators have taken a POLITICAL stance against the VFA, the Arroyo Administration has taken a steadfast, if cautious, approach in voicing support for the agreement and the provision of the Supreme Court's decision requiring discussions on specific language regarding custody and detention. Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro repeatedly has emphasized the importance of the U.S.-Philippine defense relationship in his media encounters. ¶5. (C) The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also has been proactive in publicizing the benefits that military-military cooperation under the VFA provides the Philippines. The Embassy and DFA collaborated on a VFA fact sheet called "VFA Helps Build A Strong Republic" for top Philippine officials to use in media encounters, and leading publications carried information from the DFA in articles on February 26. Underscoring the security of the Philippines, the DFA stated the VFA is part of the Philippines' network of alliances in the Asia-Pacific region and is an effective deterrent against potential aggressors. The press reports were balanced, citing the DFA's assertion that the VFA is "indispensable," and including detailed training, equipment, civil-military operation, and humanitarian/disaster relief assistance that the U.S. has funded and that was possible because of the existence of the VFA. MANILA 00000438 002 OF 003 ¶6. (C) Senior Philippine legal officials have stated that the Supreme Court's February 11 decision would not be final until all appeals have been exhausted. On February 25, the Philippine Solicitor General filed a motion before the Supreme Court arguing LCpl Smith's detention by U.S. authorities was permitted by the VFA. The motion asked the Supreme Court to declare that the December 2006 agreement between the Ambassador and Foreign Secretary Romulo giving the U.S. Embassy custody over Smith throughout the completion of all judicial proceedings -- including the appeals process -- was in accord with the VFA. Leftist activists who filed the original challenge to the VFA with the Supreme Court also filed a motion for reconsideration of the constitutionality of the VFA February 26. However, even if expeditiously addressed by the Supreme Court, a motion for reconsideration effectively could delay the Supreme Court decision by several weeks or more. -------------- MISSION EMPHASIZING VFA BENEFITS -------------- ¶7. (C) Important upcoming U.S-Philippine bilateral annual exercises such as Balikatan and Combined Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT),scheduled for April and May respectively, are predicated on the existence of the VFA. Thousands of U.S. and Philippine troops will participate in the exercises, which will focus on enhancing interoperability, military readiness, and civil-military operations. The Mission is working behind the scenes to ensure the exercises proceed as planned, and the Ambassador has engaged Philippine officials both publicly and privately on the VFA issue, reiterating the importance to both nations of the Agreement. ¶8. (C) In a conversation with Secretary Teodoro February 26, Teodoro confided to the Ambassador that senior Philippine officials recognized the obligation the USG has to ensure its citizens are well treated and said that the Arroyo Administration had to abide by the Agreement, as the credibility of the Philippine government was at stake. At the same time, Teodoro suggested that timely movement toward clarifying language in the VFA regarding custody and detention would help convince critics that the U.S. government was an equal partner in the Agreement. Teodoro worried that a protracted lack of response from the United States with respect to the Supreme Court decision could result in the Supreme Court taking additional unhelpful steps. -------------- COMMENT AND NEXT STEPS -------------- ¶9. (C) Philippine officials are worried about the status of the VFA, given the public mood and rumblings by the Philippine Senate. While the Supreme Court specifically stated LCpl Smith should remain in U.S. Embassy custody during "negotiations" over appropriate detention facilities and imposed no timetable, the Court also retained jurisdiction over the case. With two major bilateral military exercises only a month away, we need to avoid the perception that we are ignoring the Supreme Court. The Court clearly instructed the Philippine government to commence negotiations with us on a suitable Philippine place of detention for LCpl Smith. We have told the Philippine government that Post is not empowered to commence such negotiations and has referred the decision to USG legal authorities for review. This approach, as well as the filings by both the Solicitor General and the opposing party for reconsideration, provide a brief window to begin engagement, but the window will not remain open indefinitely. ¶10. (C) Our fundamental priority remains the safety of LCpl Smith and ensuring that we retain custody of him at the U.S. Embassy. We do not want to take any action that may adversely affect his pending appeal. Still, the Smith case remains highly sensitive at every level of Philippine society and with the Supreme Court likely to uphold its previous decision, we support an incremental approach that demonstrates to the Philippine government and public that the United States appreciates the importance of this issue and respects -- if not necessarily agrees with -- the views of the Philippine Supreme Court. While Post advises strongly against broader discussions on the VFA that may be construed as a renegotiation of the VFA requiring ratification by the Philippine Senate, it is imperative that we show a willingness to work with the Philippine government to arrive at a mutually acceptable interpretation of the VFA regarding custody and detention. MANILA 00000438 003 OF 003 ¶11. (C) Recognizing that we are not the USG's legal experts on VFA issue, we offer the following potential points for consideration as the basis for a diplomatic note or discussions with the Philippine Embassy in line with this incremental approach. Having the Department transmit the information to the Philippine Embassy would further distance the issue from intense public scrutiny here, though we expect the details of any conversation to be made public. The perception that Embassy Manila is the locus of "negotiations" increases the probability that we will face the kind of demonstrations and protests that have marked earlier high-profile cases of the Smith case. -- We understand and appreciate the significance of this issue to the Philippine government, its people, and the entire country; -- We recognize the importance of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the benefits it provides both our nations, particularly with regard to security; -- We reiterate that the VFA is an executive agreement that has the force of a treaty under international law and is legally binding on the U.S.; -- We welcome the Philippine Supreme Court,s reaffirmation of the constitutionality of the Visiting Forces Agreement; -- We fully concur with the Philippine government,s interpretation of the VFA as stated in the Solicitor General,s Motion for Clarification filed February 25 before the Philippine Supreme Court asserting that custody of LCpl Smith resides with U.S. authorities until the end of "all judicial proceedings"; -- Given our respective governments, mutually shared interpretation of the VFA, we believe it is essential to remove inconsistencies perceived by others and clarify the custody and detention provisions of the VFA through an exchange of diplomatic notes; -- We recognize that the VFA itself does not specify the detention facilities to be used upon final conviction of U.S. personnel at the end of all judicial proceedings; -- We look forward to future bilateral discussions on the nature of detention facilities to be used should a conviction be upheld at the end of all judicial proceedings. KENNEY