Violence may erupt in Philippine south - thinktank
MANILA, May 14 (Reuters) - Washington and Manila must work to finalise a peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the largest Muslim rebel group, to prevent hostilities breaking out later this year, a leading think-tank said on Wednesday.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) also recommended the two governments revive cooperation with the larger Muslim rebel groups to separate them from the small but deadly Abu Sayyaf militants.
"That imperative has become particularly acute since the Malaysian government announced its withdrawal from the international monitoring team that has helped keep a lid on conflict since 2004," said Kit Collier, a consultant for ICG.
"If renewed attention to a peace agreement is not forthcoming by the time the (IMT) mandate ends in August, hostilities could quickly resume."
The Philippines, a largely Catholic country, is battling several Muslim rebel group in its southern islands.
Foreign jihadists have been known to train local militants in bomb-making techniques, and use the Philippines' remote islands as a sanctuary.
Since 2002, Washington has been helping its former colony hunt down these Islamic militants through training and equipment, pouring millions of dollars to build schools, clinics, roads and potable water pumps.
While aggressively pursuing the militants, Manila has also been talking to end a conflict with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that has killed 120,000 people since the late 1960s.
But talks, brokered by Malaysia from 2001, have been stalled since December 2007 due to constitutional issues. Last week, Kuala Lumpur started withdrawing its unarmed peace monitors from the south ahead of the end of the IMT mission in August.
Manila signed a peace deal with the older Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1996, but many of its members say the government has not fulfilled its promises.
"The number of terrorists in the Philippines is small relative to the mass-based insurgencies in which they take cover," said John Virgoe, ICG's Southeast Asia director.
"But, the Abu Syyaf and its allies remain dangerous because of their potential to drag the latter back into the war." (Reporting by Manny Mogato; editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and anjeev Miglani)
