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Raissa Robles

The separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines was on the verge of being branded a foreign terrorist group by the Bush administration before the intervention of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The intervention came months before the Bali bombings and action against the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiah, which has been linked to the blasts.

Sources said Mrs Arroyo made an appeal in a telephone call to Mr Bush, prompting the United States to reconsider its plans.

But the US has been reconsidering its stance since last month's Bali bombings and the uncovering of new evidence that Filipino rebels provided training in the use of explosives at Camp Abubakar on Mindanao to counterparts from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.

The labelling of the MILF as a terrorist organisation 'is being considered by the US seriously', said Norberto Gonzales, the presidential adviser on special concerns. 'They are having a thorough study and evaluation of that.'

He said that after learning of the latest US moves, he met Murad Ibrahim, the MILF military chief and now lead peace negotiator, two weeks ago.

He said an agreement was reached to pre-empt the US move by pushing forward a peace agreement. He said Mr Murad also agreed to help catch a few rebels with links to Jemaah Islamiah and the al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden.

In Manila, US Deputy Assistant State Secretary Matthew Daley was evasive on whether the US planned to blacklist the MILF.

He said: 'I am not going to comment on any group that we may be considering in that area.'

On Tuesday, Mr Daley and US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone met the presidential adviser on the peace process, Eduardo Ermita, and Mr Gonzales to be briefed on the Mindanao situation and the peace talks.

Mr Ermita said: 'The Americans' general tenor was that, should Manila reach an agreement with any armed group fighting government, they would be in a position to help in rehabilitation and development.'

Mr Ermita, a retired general, said he gained the impression that the US was willing to wait for the outcome of the peace talks before moving against the Moro group.

'They asked questions, of course, about whether we have information regarding [the rebels'] linkages,' he said.

'We said the leadership, through Murad, has been telling us that since they entered into negotiations with the government, they have cut their links with all those people mentioned in the newspapers as having conducted training in Camp Abubakar during the time of president Joseph Estrada.'

Mr Gonzales said: 'We said we did not believe [the Moro] as a whole is engaged in terrorism. There are elements. We are prepared to get those elements out.'

Rebel leaders remain divided on the need to fast-track peace negotiations. Front spokesman Eid Kabalu accused the government yesterday of trying to destroy the group by rushing it into signing a lopsided agreement.

Mr Gonzales believes time is running out for peace talks. Not only the US, but also military chiefs of other Asian countries, would like the MILF neutralised.

Armed forces chief General Benjamin Defensor said in a meeting of military chiefs last weekend that Camp Abubakar was pinpointed as the secret location of a Jemaah Islamiah cell.

At a newly captured MILF training camp last weekend, the military found a handwritten manual on how to make pipe bombs and other explosives, 25kg of ammonium nitrate and six blasting caps.



Arroyo saved group from terrorist label