MANILA, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Philippine opposition lawmakers and Muslim rebels on Tuesday rejected a political formula offered by the government to restart peace talks and end nearly 40 years of separatist rebellion in the south. A regional security analyst warned the risk of violence breaking out was becoming progressively higher as the peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were going nowhere. Last week, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's peace adviser, Jesus Dureza, proposed amending the constitution, setting up a federal political system for Muslins in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic state to entice rebels back to the talks. "Our problem is not with the constitution," Manuel Roxas, a senator and leader of the opposition Liberal Party, told foreign correspondents in Manila, saying it was not the right solution to the problem in the south. "It could even tear the country apart," he said, adding he would only agree to amending the constitution at a time when the country's political situation was more "tranquil" and stable. Roxas also wanted a more thorough study on what form of a federal system would work in the Philippines. The MILF also turned down the government's proposal to set up a federal form of government for Muslims as a solution to a conflict that has killed 120,000 people and displaced about 2 million in the south. "Any political formula must be the result of a negotiation, not an imposition from the government," a rebel statement said on Tuesday. "What was agreed upon in past talks should be respected and must not be sidetracked by any new political formula to end the conflict." The MILF said the setting up a federal system was not among the consensus points agreed upon by negotiators from the Manila government and the rebel group, insisting that government must abide by what had been agreed upon. The rebels were accusing the government of reneging from what it had already agreed in earlier negotiations, such as setting up an ancestral homeland for 3 million Muslims in the south and allowing some mechanism for self-government. A deal on ancestral domain was supposed to be signed this month in Kuala Lumpur, but rebels rejected a draft agreement prepared by the government in December because the setting up of the Muslim homeland was premised on constitutional processes. Security analysts warned violence may erupt in the south if the impasse is not resolved. "There's danger that the ceasefire mechanism would be weakened the longer the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front take to resolve the impasse," Christopher Collier, an analyst at the Australian National University, told foreign correspondents in Manila. "There have been changes in the tone and language from both sides," he said. (Reporting by Manny Mogato; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Alex Richardson)
REFILE - CORRECTING DATE Leader of Malaysia's Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), P. Uthayakumar (L) and colleagues V. Ganabatirao (C) and P. Warthamoorty, are carried by supporters after being freed of ...
