Ramos challenges communist leader<\/p>\n
MANILA (AFP): President Fidel Ramos yesterday called on the
\nhead of the Philippine communist insurgent movement to take the
\nsame steps towards peace as that of a Moro rebel leader.<\/p>\n
Ramos, in a speech in the former communist guerrilla
\nstronghold of Samar island, copies of which were released in
\nManila, said: "I sincerely hope that Chairman Jose Maria
\nSison ... will finally do what Chairman Nur Misuari has done for
\nthe MNLF."<\/p>\n
Misuari, head of the MNLF, the Moslem insurgent Moro National
\nLiberation Front, has accepted a provisional peace agreement with
\nthe government and has agreed to run as a ruling coalition
\ncandidate in September elections for a Moslem autonomous region
\nin the south.<\/p>\n
Ramos said yesterday he has "no reason to doubt" that Misuari
\nwill win as governor of the four-province Autonomous Region of
\nMoslem Mindanao (ARMM) in the Sept. 9 balloting.<\/p>\n
The Ramos administration has thrown its full support behind
\nMisuari's candidacy as part of a package deal to convince the
\nMNLF to abandon their 24-year armed struggle in which over 50,000
\npeople were killed.<\/p>\n
Support for Misuari includes bankrolling his election campaign
\nand convincing potential opponents from powerful Moslem clans to
\nback out, Ramos' aides have said.<\/p>\n
Sison, who heads the communist insurgent group National
\nDemocratic Front (NDF) which is also holding peace talks with the
\ngovernment, has condemned Misuari for allegedly selling out to
\nthe government.<\/p>\n
Ramos said the peace talks with the communists "are not yet to
\nbe considered as successful as the one with the MNLF but
\nhopefully, they can take advantage of the opportunity to take
\npart in our political life by way of the elections, the
\nconstitution and legal systems."<\/p>\n
The negotiations began last month in the Netherlands, where
\nSison and other communist leaders live in exile, and are due to
\nresume later this month.<\/p>\n
The president noted that other former communist guerrillas had
\nsuccessfully run for minor political positions after surrendering
\nto government.<\/p>\n
He also cited military coup plotters who also forged a peace
\nagreement with Manila last year and have since run in elections
\nwith one of their leaders, Gregorio Honasan, being elected to the
\nsenate.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ramos-challenges-communist-leader-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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