The Philippines on Monday warned a former Muslim rebel leader-turned-politician not to launch a fresh war for independence in the troubled south of the country.
Newspaper reports said Nur Misuari, leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), on Sunday told supporters he was ready to lead a rebellion against Manila and accused it of reneging on terms of a 1996 peace accord.
The MNLF was the country's main Muslim rebel group until Misuari signed the peace accord, under which Misuari was installed as chairman of the four-province Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), in the south of the country.
Misuari wants Manila this month's elections for a new set of officials to govern the ARMM to be postponed, saying they are a violation of the peace agreement.
But armed forces southern command chief Lieutenant General Roy Cimatu warned Misuari the military was ready to thwart any attempts by his group to create disorder in the upcoming polls.
"I just want to tell them they should not intimidate this government, they should not threaten the armed forces because the armed forces will respond to all these threats," Cimatu told reporters in southern Zamboanga city.
In Manila, President Gloria Arroyo appealed to Misuari to support the elections and respect the constitution.
"The President is condident that a peaceful, orderly ARMM elections will be the start of a new, re-energized phase for developing the autonomous region as one of peace and prosperity for our Muslim brothers," Arroyo's spokesman, Rigoberto Tiglao, said.
Misuari last week forged a "unity accord" with a breakaway faction of the 12,500 strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the largest remaining Muslim rebel force currently negotiating peace with Manila.
The MILF splintered from Misuari's MNLF in 1978 and has been holding peace talks with Manila despite continuing skirmishes with government troops -- MANILA, (AFP)
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