U.S. Indicates to Manila That It Will Give Up Clark Base

The United States indicated Monday that it is ready to give up Clark Air Base, which was devastated by the Mt. Pinatubo volcano eruption last month, but that it still wants to maintain “an appropriate U.S. military presence” in the Philippines.

U.S. special negotiator Richard L. Armitage issued a statement aimed at preparing Philippine authorities for withdrawal from Clark, a base the U.S. military has occupied for most of this century.

Armitage, in Manila for the latest talks on the future of Clark and Subic Bay Naval Base, said he had told Philippine Foreign Secretary Raul Manglapus that “the future of Clark is questionable.”

He cited “substantial damage” from fallen volcanic ash, aviation hazards from continuing ash emissions and the threat of further damage from mudflows and floods.

Armitage added that the closings of nearly three dozen military installations in the United States had made Congress reluctant to approve large outlays for bases “in the shadow of an active volcano halfway around the world.”

A U.S. negotiator said that although a final decision is pending, the Air Force is virtually certain to give up its huge base 50 miles north of Manila in view of the hundreds of millions of dollars required to rehabilitate Clark.