Aquino Will Visit Washington as U.S. Bases Talks Near

Philippine President Corazon Aquino will visit the United States in November, shortly before Manila and Washington start informal talks on the future of U.S. bases in the Philippines, Foreign Secretary Raul Manglapus said Friday.

He said Aquino, on her second official U.S. trip, would visit Washington for a few days at the invitation of President Bush.

Manglapus declined to say what her agenda would be, but Aquino said two weeks ago that Manila and Washington would start exploratory talks on the future of Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base north of Manila in December. The leases on the bases expire in 1991 and Aquino has been under pressure from some quarters not to allow renewal.

Meanwhile, Singapore said Friday it is willing to host U.S. military bases to help maintain a U.S. presence in the region.

“Singapore is prepared to host some U.S. facilities to make it easier for the Philippines to continue to host the U.S. bases there,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs George Yeo told Parliament.