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| Southeast Asia |
| Filippino military accuses MILF of violating truce |
| 2005-12-25 |
| Southern Philippine military chief Lieutenant General Edilberto Adan accused the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) again of violating a fragile truce. He said MILF forces continue to recruit and train rebels in Mindanao and have put the peace talks at risk. "The MILF continue to recruit and train members while at the same time talking peace with the government. How can you talk peace with the government when you are preparing for war," asked Adan. Adan said he ordered military commanders to stop the MILF recruitment. "We have already warned. Their continued violation of the truce puts the peace talks at great risk," he said. Adan has previously accused the MILF of violating the cease-fire agreement it signed with Manila in 2001. A rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu denied the allegations and said his group did not violate the truce and accused Adan of scuttling the peace talks. "General Adan is retiring next month and he is trying to get public attention," Kabalu said. Government peace negotiators denied that there was massive MILF recruitment and said the talks are on its final stage. Adan said they have uncovered secret trainings and massive rebel recruitment in at least 8 provinces and towns in the southern Philippines. Manila's chief peace negotiator Silvestre Afable earlier briefed Adan and senior military commanders in Zamboanga City about the talks with the rebels. Manila opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001 in an effort to end more than 3 decades of bloody fighting in the southern Philippines. While the military supports the government peace process, it said it would not allow the MILF to use the cease-fire agreement and negotiations to build-up its forces. Presidential peace adviser Ramon Santos said there were no indications that the MILF violated the truce agreement. Adan said intelligence reports suggested that as many as 4,000 were recruited and trained by rebel forces. The trainings, he said, included suicide attack missions, commando and guerrilla tactics and warfare, and weapons and explosives, among others. Western intelligence previously linked the MILF to the Indonesian Jemaah al-Islamiya group and the al-Qaeda terror network of Usama bin Laden. Many Arab countries, including the influential Organization of Islamic Conference and Libya, Saudi Arabia and the United States strongly support the peace talks. US President George W. Bush offered as much as $30 million in financial assistance to help develop Mindanao should the MILF seal a peace accord with the Arroyo government. It would be used to help the rebels get back to the mainstream of society. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo previously said that 80 percent of the peace talks have been completed and that peace in Mindanao is within reach. MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim has said that his group is sincere in the talks and is willing to end the war in Mindanao. Peace negotiations between the Philippines and the MILF rebels are expected to resume next month in Malaysia, which is brokering the talks. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 Merry Christmas all. I couldn't let this one go by - MILF? Hehhee |
| Posted by: Unique Battle (was NYer4wot) 2005-12-25 19:06 |
| #1 Does anyone beleve the MILF will abide by any agreement? Does anyone think they can abide by any peace treaty? They will simply |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-12-25 19:02 |