Philippines Tells Rebel Group 'To Discipline Its Forces'

The Philippine government told a Muslim separatist group Monday that it needed to "discipline its forces" as the two sides met in Malaysia in efforts to thrash out a long-awaited peace agreement.

Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are striving to end a deadly decades-old insurgency in the southern Philippines through drawn-out peace negotiations which restarted in February.

In a statement, the Philippine government said it had deferred its submission of a peace deal proposal. The MILF put forward its draft at the last session, in April.

But both parties said they considered Monday's informal meeting in Kuala Lumpur "productive" and have agreed on the next round of formal talks -- to be held in the beginning of August, the statement said.

Philippine government negotiator Marvic Leonen "also engaged the Moro group on what he described as 'pressing concerns' and the need for the MILF to 'discipline its forces,'" the statement said.

It said Leonen had received military reports that Ameril Umbrakato, a former MILF commander, had tried to help one of his commanders involved in the May kidnapping of a Philippine businesswoman.

MILF are also alleged to have kidnapped the relatives of the suspects in the kidnapping, according to the statement.

Leonen also said that an ongoing feud between two MILF bases had resulted in the displacement of 4,000 villagers, and warned the MILF not to become an "obstacle" to reforms.

The government had earlier praised MILF for its help to rescue the kidnapped woman in a joint operation. The woman was seized by gunman from her home in the southern province of Maguindanao but rescued 10 days later.

At the previous round of talks, MILF negotiators had brushed aside Manila's concerns over the threat posed by Umbrakato, who quit the group last year, taking at least a thousand fighters with him.

The MILF started its rebellion for an independent Islamic state in the mineral-rich region of Mindanao in 1978 and more than 150,000 people have since been killed.

In 2003, a truce was signed to pave the way for peace talks, but the process broke down. Negotiations to end the 33-year insurgency are brokered by Malaysia.

- By Agence France-Presse

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