Manila, June 22: The head of the Philippines' main Muslim separatist group today denied for the first time links with regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah and said he was committed to "overcome all obstacles" in stalled peace talks with Manila.
Salamat Hashim, head of the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF), said terrorism was an "anathema to
the teachings of Islam".
"To stress seriously this point, I hereby reiterate our
condemnation and abhorrence of terrorist tendencies...,"
Hashim said in a statement.
"Consequently, we reject and deny any link with terrorist
organisations or activities in this part of the Asian region,
particularly in south Philippines, and elsewhere in the
world."
President Gloria Arroyo has accused the MILF of
harbouring terrorists responsible for a spate of bombings and
attacks that have left about 100 dead in the southern
Philippines since March.
On Thursday she ruled out immediate peace talks with the
MILF, saying they must first cut their ties to "terrorist"
groups.
While lower-ranking MILF rebels have already denied any
terror links, Arroyo had asked the MILF chief to categorically
renounce terrorism and surrender those accused of bombings in
the south for stalled peace talks to resume.
Intelligence agencies in the region have linked the MILF
with the Jemaah Islamiyah, a terrorist organisation blamed for
the Bali bombing that killed over 200 people last year.
Bureau Report
