Donor countries, agencies worried about southern Philippines

Japan and Canada even warned that they would be forced to suspend aid to the southern region of Mindanao if fighting between the military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) escalates.

In separate letters to retired general Rodolfo Garcia, who heads the government peace negotiating panel with the MILF, Japan, Canada, the World Bank called for restraint amid the tensions triggered by the gruesome deaths of 14 marines on July 10.

The marines were killed in fierce fighting with MILF rebels in Basilan province, 900 kilometres south of Manila. The military said that 10 of the slain marines were found beheaded and mutilated.

Thousands of troops have already been dispatched to Basilan in preparation for a major retaliatory offensive against the MILF.

Japanese Ambassador Ryichiro Yamazaki said donor countries and agencies were concerned that despite calls for both parties to seek a peaceful resolution of the incident, there was strong impression that the military offensive could take place shortly.

"We are gravely concerned that offensive military operations could derail the ongoing peace talks and lead to a bigger armed conflict between the military and the MILF not only in Basilan but also in other parts of Mindanao," he said.

"In case the situation worsens, Japan will have to consider temporarily pulling out its aid-related Japanese personnel from Mindanao for security reasons," he added.

Canadian Ambassador Peter Sutherland also told Garcia in a separate letter that his country, which has committed greatly to the peace process in Mindanao, would be "dismayed" if an outbreak of hostilities would delay the peace talks.

"We would be disappointed if security concerns arising from a spillover of military operations in Basilan to other areas in Mindanao constraints us to temporarily curtail our aid operations," he said.

The World Bank reminded the Arroyo government that many of the donor countries and agencies involved in a Mindanao Trust Fund programme had committed aid despite the absence of a peace agreement between Manila and the MILF.

"Despite the volatile security situation and the unfortunate impasse in the peace talks, the work in the field has been making modest but significant progress with local government units and at the community level," World Bank Mindanao coordinator Mary Judd said.

Judd warned that an escalation of hostilities "would threaten the chances of achieving a peaceful resolution to this crisis or - much worse - totally derail the ongoing peace process." 

Presidential adviser Jesus Dureza said the government was aware of the concerns, but stressed that "the assumption is incorrect and the apprehension is misplaced.

"While we welcome the concern of those countries to preserve the gains of the peace process, we are equally, if not more concerned than they are," he said. "Coaching from the sidelines is much more convenient and easy than being the player in the field." 

Peace talks between the Philippine government and the MILF have been suspended since September last year after the two sides failed to agree on the size of a proposed Muslim homeland that would replace an existing autonomous region.

Despite the break, backdoor talks have continued and the two sides had planned to resume formal negotiations in Malaysia this month prior to the Basilan fighting. 

The 12,000-strong MILF is the largest Muslim rebel group fighting for a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines since 1978. It has agreed to discuss autonomy with the government in a bid to end decades of violent strife in the south. //(Deutsche Presse-Agentur/DPA)