Philippines: Moro Rebels and a Threat of Turmoil

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has warned that "third parties" could exploit the withdrawal of an international truce-monitoring team and draw the rebels and the Philippine government forces back into open conflict. The announcement is more a threat than a warning, as the monitoring team has been largely symbolic, but with a rise in Communist militant activity in recent months, the withdrawal and warnings could trigger renewed efforts to settle the Moro militancy.