Aussie envoy pushes MILF peace pact
By Michaela P. del Callar 03/09/2011Decades-old Muslim unrest in southern Philippines not only hinders peace but also drains the country’s development funds, scares away foreign investors and impedes the government’s efforts to ease the lives of poor Filipinos, Australia’s top diplomat to Manila said as he called on the Aquino administration and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to finally forge a lasting peace settlement.
“There is a large opportunity cost to not securing peace. Scarce government resources will continue to be sapped, investment will remain constrained and efforts to raise living standards will be diluted,” Smith said in a statement before the Philippine Development Forum held last week.
“Low-level insurgencies and difficulties in bringing the peace process to completion, contribute to unrest,” he added..... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110309hed6.html
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