President Gloria Arroyo on Tuesday called off talks in Malaysia to resolve a Muslim separatist rebellion in the southern Philippines, saying the priority was to fight ‘terrorism’ waged by Moro guerillas. Mrs Arroyo aborted what would have been a meeting to pave the way for formal talks between government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) after a series of bombings and raids on Mindanao island that left 83 people dead and hundreds wounded since March. ‘We shall not stand for terrorism in the guise of a fight for freedom. We shall pursue peace only under the rule of law and constitutional order,’ she said in a statement. She said she ordered government negotiators ‘to inform the Malaysian government of our wish to postpone the exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur until we can establish more auspicious circumstances to move the peace process forward.’ Full Story