MORE FRUIT OF '03:

Separatists in Philippines Agree to Reconcile (CARLOS H. CONDE, December 15, 2007, NY Times)

Two rival Islamic separatist groups in the Philippines have agreed to reconcile by September, a pledge that has raised hopes here that the insurgency in the south of the country where the separatists have been fighting for self-determination since the 1970s might finally come to an end, officials said Friday.

In a meeting Thursday with Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, a son of the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, leaders of the two separatist groups, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front, said they should be able to resolve their differences, which date to 1976, when the former group broke away from the latter.