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Islamic nations urge Manila, rebels to resume peace talks

An influential bloc of Islamic nations called on the Philippine government and Muslim rebels yesterday to end clashes that it said put half a million civilians at risk and aided extremists who seek to destroy the fragile peace process.

The government of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front should resume peace talks and end the clashes that erupted in August after the Philippine Supreme Court scrapped a preliminary peace deal, said Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

In an appeal on the bloc’s Web site, he said the fighting in the troubled southern island of Mindanao “empowers undisciplined elements who seek to abort the peace process and fuel extremist feelings.”

More than 100 civilians have been killed and about half a million driven from their homes since three rebel commanders went on a bloody rampage in several Christian communities in August, prompting an offensive by government troops.

The rebels blamed the government for jeopardizing 11 years of tough negotiations when the Supreme Court stopped the signing of an accord granting minority Muslims an expanded homeland. The court declared the agreement unconstitutional and said it could lead to the partition of the Philippines.

The violence led Arroyo to indefinitely suspend talks with the rebel group.

Ihsanoglu called on both sides to “work out creative solutions,” and promised to mobilize resources from OIC affiliated institutions to alleviate the suffering of civilians.

Speaking at a UN interfaith conference in New York, Arroyo said on Wednesday that stability and order must be established before peace talks could resume.

She said “responsible elements” must regain control of the rebel group.

Meanwhile, a former Philippine agriculture official testified yesterday that Arroyo was never involved with a government fund worth millions of pesos that she is accused of dipping into to finance her 2004 election campaign.

Arroyo and other government officials are accused of siphoning off money from a 728 million pesos (US$13 million) fund purportedly created to purchase fertilizer for farmers. She has denied any wrongdoing.

The allegations are part of an impeachment complaint against Arroyo filed by opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives last month. The House hasn’t acted on the complaint.
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