Christians told not fear over accord

Christians told not fear over accord

MANILA (AFP): The Philippines government yesterday moved to dispel the fears of the Christian majority in the southern Philippines over a peace settlement with Moro rebels.

Manila and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have agreed that a Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development, led by the MNLF, will oversee development programs in Mindanao and nearby areas that have been wracked by 24 years of sectarian strife.

Non-Moslem political leaders in area covered by the council, which covers nearly a quarter the Philippine archipelago, announced on Tuesday that they would launch protest actions next weekend.

The leaders said that in crafting the Manila-MNLF agreement which led to the council's formation, the Christian majority was ignored.

The 14 provinces have a population of around 10 million people, 60 percent of whom are Roman Catholic or members of other Christian groups. The rest are Moslems or from other minority religions.