Muslim rebels to release Manila's military chief

Manila, Feb 4: Muslim rebels were expected to release a top Philippine general today along with a senior government official and their aides after holding them for two nights at a camp on a remote southern island.

A government official told Reuters that Brigadier-General Ben Dolorfino, commander of military forces in Manila, and Ramon Santos, head of the government's truce panel, were expected to leave Jolo island, 600 miles south of the capital, and fly to a military base in Zamboanga City about 140 km away.

''There was an agreement for them to return home. We expect them to be back in Zamboanga by 3 pm (1230 hrs ist),'' said the aide to Jesus Dureza, presidential adviser on the peace process.

Dolorfino, a Muslim convert, and Santos had flown in on Friday morning for talks with members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) about a shaky 1996 peace agreement.

Habier Malik, a MNLF commander, had refused to let them leave until he received assurances that a meeting about the 1996 deal would take place in Saudi Arabia between the government, the MNLF and the Muslim world's largest grouping, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Dolorfino, who had said he and his entourage were being treated as ''special guests'' of the MNLF, told a local radio station that he was itching to get back to work in the capital.

''I'll fly to Zamboanga, then probably (Monday) on the first flight I can go back to Manila to work as head of the Metro Manila command,'' he said.

A military source said the MNLF wanted Dolorfino to apologise before he left for the killing of some of its members in an encounter with the marines last month.

A special ceremony would be held before he departed, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Philippines is a largely Catholic country but has a sizeable Muslim minority in the south, where a decades-old conflict between Islamic separatists and government troops has killed more than 120,000 people.

The MNLF is the oldest of four Muslim rebel groups in the Philippines. Disillusionment with the way the 1996 peace deal was implemented has encouraged some members to defect to other groups such as the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The 57-member OIC, which helped broker peace between Manila and the MNLF, had originally scheduled a meeting last year and then later this month on how to salvage the agreement.

Dolorfino, the highest-ranked Muslim in the armed forces, is well respected on Jolo, where he helped forge a ceasefire in 2005 between the MNLF and government troops.

The father of three regularly visits the impoverished island, where 7,000 troops, backed by US advisers and equipment, have scored recent victories against the Abu Sayyaf and its regional ally, Jemaah Islamiah.

Reuters

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