8 Moro rebels, 4 soldiers killed in Lanao Norte clashes

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Eight Muslim guerrillas and four soldiers were slain in two separate clashes in Lanao del Norte, a military spokesman said yesterday.

This developed as Mindanao governors and mayors asked President Estrada to extend by one year the June deadline he has imposed for the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) panels to forge a political settlement.

Two Marines were killed when ambushed by separatist MILF rebels in Kauswagan town last Monday, Col. Hilario Aten-dido said.

Last Tuesday, about 70 MILF guerrillas and a group of Army soldiers clashed in Balo-i town, leaving eight rebels and two soldiers dead, he added.

Atendido said 17 MILF members and 11 soldiers were wounded in the clash.

The clashes were the latest in a series of skirmishes between the military and the MILF in the area that began last month, during which the MILF briefly occupied the Kauswagan town hall.

Despite the clashes, the MILF and the government have said they will proceed with the peace talks next month.

The MILF, with its 15,000 fighters, is the largest remaining Muslim rebel group fighting for the establishment of an independent Islamic state in Mindanao.

During an emergency meeting of the Conference of Governors and Mayors in Mindanao at the Insular Waterfront Hotel in Davao City last Tuesday night, Mindanao local executives cited the need to extend peace negotiations with the MILF.

"We have discussed the situation in Mindanao and we deemed it right that the deadline should be moved to at least another year," said Davao City Mayor Benjamin de Guzman, president of the conference.

"We acknowledge the seriousness of the problem. We do not expect it can be solved overnight. It needs and takes time," Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Vicente Emano said.

The local executives also sought an audience with the President to discuss their recommendations and proposals on how the peace process with the MILF should proceed.

"We hope to see the President and discuss this matter with him as soon as possible," Emano said.

The government and MILF panels reportedly still have to thresh out the final agenda of the formal talks, with working groups tackling each of the nine-point agenda the rebel group has submitted.

The two panels are set to hold their fourth round of formal talks on May 2 at the Estosan Hotel in Cotabato City.

The local executives also demanded that members of the government negotiating panel be replaced with people who know and understand Mindanao. - Roel Pareño, Edith Regalado and AFP