Separatist rebels hold talks in RP

Separatist rebels hold talks in RP

PHILIPPINES: The Philippines' largest Muslim separatist rebel group on Sunday began three days of talks with members on peace talks with the government.

Thousands of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members and supporters gathered in a camp in Sultan Kudarat province, 930 kilometers south of Manila, for the meeting.

MILF spokesman Eid Cabalu said government peace negotiators and foreign observers were also invited to attend the consultations on the rebel group's stance in the peace talks.

"We will listen to our members and supporters," he said. "We will get their ideas and opinions on the peace process, which is very important for all of us."

The 12,000-strong MILF has been fighting for the establishment of an independent Islamic state in the southern region of Mindanao since 1978.

In 1997, it agreed to hold peace talks with the Philippine government. The peace process, however, has been difficult, often being disrupted by fighting between the military and the rebels as well as allegations of terror links.

Last month, the negotiations received a boost when the MILF and the government agreed on some contentious points regarding the key issue of Moslem ancestral land rights in Mindanao.

The MILF has in the past claimed that the entire Mindanao region is the ancestral domain of the country's Moslem minority and should be governed separately from the rest of the Philippines.

The two sides are to continue talks next month, with Malaysia as host and facilitator. Government negotiators hope that a final peace agreement could be forged with the MILF within the year. -- DPA