Rebels urge U.S. not to help RP

Thu, 18 Oct 2001 | Source: AP

PHILIPPINES: A Moro separatist leader warned on Wednesday that any U.S. involvement in the Philippine government's military campaign against Abu Sayyaf extremist rebels will complicate efforts to bring peace to their war-ravaged region.

Murad Ebrahim, chief of the staff of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, claimed that Manila was hoping for greater U.S. assistance to fight the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, who have links with Osama bin Laden, the Saudi exile accused of plotting the Sept. 11 terror attacks on America.

Murad spoke to reporters in Malaysian city of Seri Kembangan ahead of a fresh round of peace talks between the MILF and Philippine government negotiators.

The discussions are scheduled to formally start Thursday on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where both sides signed a cease-fire accord two months ago in an ongoing effort to end three decades of conflict which has killed more than 120,000 people. --AP

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