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Cease-Fire Order to Be Issued for Muslim Separatists: Philippine President
President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo said Tuesday she will order a cease-fire with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in an effort to foster peace talks.
On a televised news conference, the president said the order for suspension of military operations will take effect as soon as she issues an executive order.
Arroyo said her order had three purposes: to create an environment to foster new talks, allow thousands of people who have been displaced by the conflict to return to their homes, and pave the way for rehabilitation and development projects in the area.
Acting Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the order could come later in the day.
The MILF is the largest group of Muslim separatists in the southern Philippines, which has been fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern island of Mindanao for more than two decades.
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