Rebels urge U.S. not to help RP

Rebels urge U.S. not to help RP

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