Muslim separatists yesterday accused "hawkish" Philippine officials of trying to sabotage peace talks.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Murad Ebrahim welcomed President Gloria Arroyo's move this week to rein in military units operating in rebel-held areas of Mindanao island to salvage the talks but said some officials were undermining these efforts.
Heavy clashes near the Mindanao town of Midsayap last week left 17 MILF rebels and a soldier dead. The MILF said the fighting erupted when troops advanced into rebel-held areas in violation of an earlier agreement to pull back.
The violence was another obstacle to resuming peace talks, which have been stalled since late last year over demands by Murad's group for economic control of what they claim are ancestral lands.
The truce is being monitored by a small team of Malaysian, Libyan and Brunei monitors.
The MILF central committee is "to keep combatants in place" in conflict zones because there are "spoilers of the peace process" among the government ranks, Murad said in a statement.
"On the part of MILF, war is not being stepped up. But the MILF will keep a short list of those intent at breaking the peace, including hawkish military officers and policymakers," Murad said.
He did not name those in the list or say what the MILF intended to do about them.
Earlier this week, Arroyo reminded military field commanders to be "constantly aware of the strategic implications of tactical actions in the proximity of MILF areas."
She ordered the defense department to devise a plan that ensured all levels of the military understood the peace negotiations.
But Murad yesterday said a "prolonged cessation of hostilities" could only be achieved when troops are stripped of their powers to patrol Muslim communities.
Troops often "disregard the preventive measures" to avoid violence, leading to fighting, Murad said.
"I have no doubt about keeping up the struggle to mobilize the population through a principled level of negotiation," he said.
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