US seeks military ties, not base, in Philippines

The U.S. says it wants more military cooperation with the Philippines but is not seeking a military base there.

Senior diplomats and defense officials of the treaty allies began two days of annual strategic talks in Washington on Thursday.

The U.S. intent to beef up its military presence in the Asia-Pacific has fueled speculation it could seek to re-establish the permanent presence it had in the Philippines until the early 1990s.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Thursday the U.S. is not seeking a base, but is interested in increasing training and cooperation in areas including freedom of navigation and countering terror and piracy.

Since 2002, hundreds of American troops have given counterterrorism training to Filipino troops. (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)