August 19, 1996, Seattle Times / Chicago Tribune, Peace Accord Ends 24 Years Of Civil War In Philippines, by Uli Schmetzer,

August 19, 1996, Seattle Times / Chicago Tribune, Peace Accord Ends 24 Years Of Civil War In Philippines, by Uli Schmetzer, 

MANILA - President Fidel Ramos and Muslim rebel leader Nur Misuari embraced in a muddy school yard on southern Mindanao island yesterday in a gesture that symbolized an end to 24 years of a vicious and often forgotten civil war in the south.

Five hundred schoolchildren cheered a peace accord that has infuriated local Christians, who say it gives too much power to the Muslim rebels, while Muslim extremists complain it falls short of their ambition for an independent homeland.

Under the complicated peace agreement, Misuari's National Moro Liberation Front, the main rebel force, will supervise public life for three years in four southern provinces.

Then a plebiscite will decide whether the inhabitants want to join a new Muslim region comprising 14 provinces.

About 5,500 of Misuari's fighters are to be incorporated in the local Philippine armed forces, and a further 1,500 fighters of the 17,000-strong guerrilla force will become part of the local police force.

Ramos, who sees peace with the Muslims and a rebel communist party as a prerequisite for economic development in this country of 7,000 islands, remained pragmatic about the agreement he brokered despite accusations he may be giving away part of the country.

Both Filipino soldiers and guerrillas came to Lanao del Sur with their pistol holsters empty.

It was the first time in 10 years that Ramos had met the charismatic Misuari, a former university professor who lived in

exile in Saudi Arabia before returning to lead the rebellion from the small southern island of Jolo in the Sulu Sea.

The guerrilla leader has been full of praise for Ramos, whom Muslims consider the only leader in decades to make a serious attempt to end a conflict on Mindanao that has tied up men and military resources since the 1970s.

"It's peace now or never!" Misuari called to the assembled fighters and schoolchildren.

But he made it clear his movement still wants an autonomous Muslim region in the south, an age-old dream of his fellow believers who saw their lands invaded by Christian settlers, now the majority on Mindanao.

The peace accord is to be signed in Manila on Sept. 2. It will officially end a war that has crippled the development of one of the Philippines' most fertile and mineral-rich islands.