<font color=brown> I like the way Ms. Arroyo says: Read my Lips! <font color=black>
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24 July 2004 0129 hrs
Philippines' Arroyo defiant in face of US criticism over troop withdrawal
MANILA : President Gloria Arroyo was defiant in the face of harsh US criticism of her decision to recall Philippines troops from Iraq to save a hostage's life, as the freed man arrived in his hometown to a hero's welcome.
The US envoy to Manila had meanwhile travelled to Washington to explain domestic pressures that led to Arroyo's decision to pull out the Philippines' 51-man contingent a month earlier than scheduled, an official said.
The withdrawal was completed on Monday. The following day truck driver Angelo de la Cruz was released by militants who had threatened to behead him unless the troops left.
Arroyo brushed off US criticism that she had played into the hands of militants and said she had no regrets about her decision.
"It won't take more than three lines to summarise my case, and let me say them. One, I take responsibility. Two, I make no apologies. Three, I stuck to my oath," she said.
Arroyo had vowed to save de la Cruz, who was seized on July 4. After a 17-day ordeal, he returned to the Philippines on Thursday to a rapturous welcome.
Analysts said Arroyo had decided to act to avoid angering the estimated seven million Filipinos working abroad, a formidable constituency whose billions of dollars of remittances keep the economy afloat.
"I trust that our allies will come to understand that the Philippines is in a special circumstance unlike the US, Australia, Bulgaria and other countries," Arroyo said, referring to other countries with troops in Iraq.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday added to previous US criticism of the troop withdrawal saying that "in effect the kidnappers were rewarded for kidnapping."
"We were very disappointed in the actions of the Philippine government," he said.
"I'm pleased that the Filipino gentleman was returned home safely, but I think a very high price was paid for the policy position that the Philippine government took."
In his reaction, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday that "weakness is provocative."
The US envoy to Manila, Francis Ricciardone, left for Washington on Thursday for talks with officials that would touch on the troop withdrawal, US charge d'affaires Joseph Mussomeli said.
The issue was not the life of one man or the war in Iraq, he said. Rather, it was "that the Philippines is seen as taking orders from terrorists," Mussomeli said.
Arroyo on Friday sought to repair the damage by saying that her government was committed to working hand in hand with Washington to "wipe out the scourge of terrorism".
The Philippines and the United States have "century-old bonds", she said.
"No president can break that bond because it is held together by a permanent history," she said. "Our partnership for a better world is stronger than ever."
After spending the night in Manila, de la Cruz returned Friday to his home in Buenavista, an impoverished village north of the capital which he had left to make a living overseas.
Thousands milled the streets to greet him as marching bands preceded the van he and his family were in. Crowds mobbed the vehicle, eager to get a glimpse of the figure that Arroyo dubbed "a Filipino everyman."
"I want to thank president Arroyo and our government," de la Cruz told the gathering. "Our president gave first priority to saving my life. I won't forget that."
De la Cruz was later whisked to a church in the northern Philippines to attend a special thanksgiving mass with the president.
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