Truce proposed to secure dam

Truce proposed to secure dam

MANILA (AFP): The Philippine military said yesterday it hopes
to sign a cease-fire agreement with Moslem guerrillas in the
southern Philippines by Sunday to allow a Japan-funded irrigation
dam project to resume.

Armed Forces chief Arturo Enrile told reporters the military
has proposed to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) a mutual
pullout from the project site.

"We hope that on or before the 15th it could be done," Gen.
Enrile said.

Months of clashes between the MILF and troops guarding the
US$54 million project have forced South Korean contractors to
abandon the site, and President Fidel Ramos to send army
engineers to complete it.

The dam, funded by Tokyo's Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund,
is opposed by the guerrillas, who say the mostly Moslem land
owners have not been properly compensated.