Peace deal failure may lead to conflict

Peace deal failure may lead to conflict

MANILA (AFP): The failure to push through with a controversial
peace agreement with Moslem insurgents may result in a new
conflict that will further squander the resources of the
Philippines, President Fidel Ramos warned here yesterday.

However if the agreement pushes through, it will pave the way
for the economic development of the impoverished southern
Philippines, Ramos added.

In separate speeches before provincial governors and graduates
of a defense college, Ramos defended the peace agreement which is
due to be signed soon with the Moslem insurgent Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF).

The agreement calls for the creation of an MNLF-led council
that will oversee development projects in 14 provinces in the
southern island of Mindanao and nearby areas for three years.
This will pave the way for the creation of a Moslem autonomous
region covering that area.