Philippine pledges not to allow U.S. to bring nuclear weapons into its territory

The Philippine government said on Sunday that it won't allow the United States to bring into the country nuclear weapons under a security agreement that will grant U.S. forces access to military bases here.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Philippine negotiators on the Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation (AEDC) are guided by the principles of full respect for Philippine sovereignty, non- permanence of U.S. troops, and no U.S. basing in the Philippines, mutual benefits and respect for the Philippine Constitution, " including the prohibition against nuclear weapons."

After the sixth round of talks, Manila and Washington were reportedly 80 percent completed in discussing the AEDC.

Meanwhile, on criticisms that the proposed deal with the United States was not merely an executive agreement and needs the Senate concurrence, Coloma said that critics should wait for the completion of the deal first to have a better grasp of all the issues at hand.