WEYMOUTH: How is terrorism a threat to your region? ARROYO:In our region there are terrorist cells all over. [So] Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines decided that we would help one another fight terrorism. It has worked out very well. When Nur Misuari, leader of the Moro National Liberation Front, had his short-lived rebellion in the Philippines in November–and then escaped to Malaysia–he didn’t find a safe haven. He was put in jail. Recently, Indonesia’s President Megawati has been complaining about arms being smuggled into Indonesia from her neighbors. We were able to capture an Indonesian who had been shipping explosives out of our southernmost city and into Indonesia.
Will that cooperation on terror now extend to Singapore and Thailand? Yes.
How active has Al Qaeda been in the Philippines? Osama bin Laden’s brother-in-law was living in the Philippines until 1995. They had front organizations here, but after we assisted the U.S. in convicting the [1993] World Trade Center bombers, then bin Laden’s brother-in-law left and the front organizations closed shop.
Aren’t there allegations that Abu Sayyaf has links with Al Qaeda? Our evidence goes up to 1995. As far as I am concerned, terrorism is not a franchise only of Al Qaeda. We fight terrorism wherever it is.
How long do you think the U.S. troops should stay on the ground? We have an agreement: they will stay six months.
You have encountered some opposition. Some, but the latest survey says 83 percent of our people approve.
So you don’t feel any pressure from the opposition? I called a meeting of the National Security Council, including opposition leaders, and they supported my position.
Here we have read that the opposition is giving you a hard time. I am not having a hard time. It’s not opposition to my administration but opposition to American presence in the Philippines.
What did you think of President Bush’s idea of [threatening] Iraq, Iran and North Korea? I can see that President Bush has found his mission. He feels that his destiny is to wage a successful war against terrorism, which has reared its ugly head and has made life very difficult for many countries.
Do you need both a military and a political approach to fight terrorism? Yes, because terrorism and poverty are interlinked. We have to look at new ways poverty can be fought–not the old, traditional massive handouts. I like to call it a hand up for the self-reliant. In the Philippines, we have tried our best to be self-reliant.
Are the rebels in your country trying to foment a religious war between Christians and Muslims? They are trying to bill it that way, but we are not fighting Muslims. We are not fighting Islam. We are fighting terrorism.
What do you think that you can achieve with U.S. military trainers in a mere six months? The terms of the training order are very clear. They will stay six months and enhance the capability of our soldiers to fight terrorism with training, intelligence and equipment from the U.S.
Enough so that your Army can end terrorism? Yes. There used to be thousands [of terrorists]; now there are hundreds. They used to be in several provinces; now they are only in one. I would like to be successful in fighting terror so that we can move on to fight poverty, so we don’t have another breeding ground for terrorists.
Do you talk to President Bush often? The last time we talked I reiterated that the U.S. troops must not engage in combat [in my country]. We have to keep pushing. After the military victory, this coalition might drift apart but we should keep it together and form a world coalition against poverty.
