Arroyo to Suspend Anti-Rebel Offensive
New President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said today that she will order a cease-fire in the conflict with the largest group of separatist Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines in an effort to boost peace talks.
The order for suspension of military operations was expected to take effect quickly.
Since becoming president Jan. 20, Arroyo has made a top priority of resuming peace talks with Muslim rebels belonging to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is fighting for a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines, and communist guerrillas, who are waging a Marxist insurgency nationwide.
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