Filipinos protest U.S. forces pact

Demonstrators said they were prepared to wait through the day and night to make sure Colin Powell hears their voice

MANILA, Philippines (CNN) -- The U.S. embassy in Manila is under tight security after hundreds of leftist demonstrators protested ahead of the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Powell arrived in the Philippine capital late Friday as he nears the end of an eight-nation Asian tour.

Powell is expected to hail the success of six month joint military training exercises which ended Wednesday and give details of more to follow, ensuring the presence of US troops in the Philippines until at least mid-2003, Filipino officials say.

The focus of the protests is an upcoming military agreement, the MLSA, which officials say may be signed during Powell's visit.

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Demonstrators fear it will enable American troops to be stationed in the Philippines, a claim which the government denies.

Small groups ringed the U.S. embassy and police lines tried to hold them back ahead of Powell's arrival. Demonstrators said they were prepared to wait through the day and night to make sure Colin Powell hears their voice.

The Philippines is America's only former colony in Asia and hosted the largest U.S. bases in the Pacific for nearly half a century -- until nationalist senators kicked out the bases in 1992.

Full support

After September 11, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo threw her full support behind the U.S. war on terror, a move which invited criticism at home.

This week, more than 1,000 U.S. troops ended a six-month training exercise in a combat area in the southern Philippines.

Powell is expected to announce details of more exercises that would keep the American troops in the Philippines until at least mid-2003, Filipino officials say.

US military engineers built roads, bridges and an airstrip in the southern part of the country. In total, the Philippines has received more than $100 million in aid since September 11.

Surveys show approval

Despite protests in the capital, recent surveys show more than 80 percent of Filipinos approve of the presence of US troops.

They have good reason to stay.

Local intelligence officials say they believe the September 11 attacks were first planned in the Philippines as early as 1995.

US officials say one of the men involved in the early planning, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, became a lieutenant of Osama Bin Laden and is a key planner of September 11.

Dismantling the network he helped put in place is a key priority for both nations.