The United States Charge d'Affaires to the Philippines Joseph Mussomeli has warned the Philippine government against an "erosion" of bilateral relations if they continue to suffer small setbacks following the Philippine pullout of troops from Iraq, according to local media reports on Friday.

Local newspaper Manila Bulletin quoted Mussomeli as saying on Thursday that while the United States and the Philippines have already hurdled their disagreement over Manila's withdrawal of troops from Iraq in July, smaller setbacks may result in their bilateral ties developing a "sub-conscious pattern of slowly decaying and becoming one of benign in difference."

Mussomeli urged both countries to work for the strengthening of their relations amid a risk of a "slow, gradual, almost imperceptible erosion in bilateral relations", according to the report.

"We must work together vigilantly to ensure that relations do not erode with hardly a 'whimper'. A small step backward in a United Nations Security Council vote, a small step sideways on intellectual property rights, another small step back on this matter or that matter, and soon an almost sub-conscious pattern develops. This is what together we must work to avoid," Mussomeli was quoted as saying.But he also assured that the United States will not let Iraq break its relations with the Philippines, which Washington still considers an ally.

"I can assure you that this one issue does not break a relationship. We at the embassy certainly feel this way. We are starting from the ambassador (Francis Ricciardone) on down, congenitally incapable of giving up on the Philippines," he said.

The local newspaper "The Daily Tribune" said that the message delivered by the US envoy can be interpreted as: President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo can no longer afford another "miscue" without totally endangering her relations with the United States.

Source:Xinhua