The new President of the Philippines has declared a unilateral ceasefire in the conflict with Muslim rebels in the south of the country. Gloria Arroyo ordered the suspension of military operations against the separatists to clear the way for stalled peace talks to resume. Her predecessor, Joseph Estrada, ordered a major offensive against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front last year. The MILF is the biggest of the rebel groups that have been fighting for independence for more than 30 years. More than 120,000 people have been killed in the conflict since it began.
Minutes after her announcement, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said that he respected Ms Arroyo's announcement. He said that their focus of attention had now shifted towards peace talks. However, he said that the MILF had yet to receive a "formal communication" on Ms Arroyo's order, and remained non-committal on whether the Muslim rebels would also halt their gunfire.
Ms Arroyo made no mention of another group, the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, which has been held responsible for a series of kidnappings. The government has long dismissed the Abu Sayyaf, which is still holding an American and a Filipino hostage, as mere bandits. Mrs Arroyo said that building peace would be less expensive than supporting an all out war.
In a separate development, ousted President Estrada has won a 30-day reprieve from possible arrest while the Supreme Court studies his claim to the presidency. The Supreme Court barred President Gloria Arroyo's government from laying corruption and other charges against him and warned prosecutors and officials that they would face contempt of court charges if they commented on the cases, court officials said.
