Duterte accuses US of building 'permanent' arsenal in the Philippines

Manila

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte accused the United States on Sunday of risking regional stability by building permanent arms depots in his country, and threatened to respond by scrapping a security treaty between them.

Mr Duterte, who has made no secret of his disdain for the US troop presence in the Philippines, pointed out that Washington was bringing weapons into three provinces of his country to store permanently, which he said was a dangerous breach of a defence deal between them.

"They're unloading arms in the Philippines now ... I'm serving notice to the armed forces of the United States. Do not do it, I will not allow it," Mr Duterte told a televised news conference. "Provisions of the Visiting Forces (Agreement), there shall be no permanent facilities. A depot is by any other name a depot. It's a permanent structure to house arms."…