PRESS RELEASE
Information Bureau
Communist Party of the Philippines

US' blackmailing of MILF same as that of CPP-NPA-NDF - Ka Roger
February 27, 2004

The Communist Party of the Philippines today denounced US' blackmailing of the Moro rebels to surrender to the puppet government in the peace talks and said that such is no different from its blackmailing of the CPP-led revolutionary movement.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) also said that the US is trying to pressure the MILF into signing a peace deal with the Arroyo regime. MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu said "The statement of US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Mussomeli is nothing but a manifestation that America wants to interfere in the peace process."

The US official said yesterday that US is considering the possible inclusion of the MILF in Washington's blacklist of "foreign terrorist organizations." The US official warned the MILF that if it fails to enter into a peace accord with the Manila government, the US will declare it as its enemy and a "terrorist." He also said that, on the other hand, "if a genuine peace accord is reached? there is very little reason to put them on (the US blacklist)." He also mentioned that the US offered $30 million in aid to Mindanao once a GRP-MILF peace treaty is signed.

In reaction, CPP spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal denounced the US' for using its unilateral "terrorist" tag to force both the MILF and the CPP-New People's Army (NPA)-National Democratic Front (NDF) to surrender to the puppet government in separate peace talks. He said "All this smacks of outright interventionism and blatant blackmailing." He also said that the US is doing this with the servile complicity of the Arroyo government.

Rosal explained that the US' "carrot-before-stick" condition to the MILF and the "stick-before-carrot" condition to CPP-NPA-NDF is different only as a half-filled glass is different from a half-empty glass.

"The US' said it would remove its 'terrorist' tag on CPP-NPA-NDF only if the latter would submit to the puppet government in the peace talks. In the same vein but from another direction, the US is threatening to apply the tag on MILF and declare it as its enemy should it not yield to the puppet government in separate peace talks."

Rosal said that the US, as a self-appointed world's policeman, has unilaterally and arrogantly arrogated the right to determine a listing of terrorists, using its self-interest as its ultimate standard.

"It calls this or that genuine revolutionary organization as 'terrorist' and hides the fact that it is itself the world's no. 1 terrorist," Rosal said.

Reference:
Anne Buenaventura
Media Officer
Cellphone Number: +63910-240-3553



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