Fighting erupts in Philippines' south

At least five people have been wounded in clashes between Philippine soldiers and Muslim insurgents in the south, but rebels say a 2003 cease-fire will still hold.

Analysts and some insurgents fear that a number of military commanders are trying to sabotage the cease-fire and on-going peace talks between the central Government and the country's largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The MILF has accused soldiers of firing at people praying at a mosque in a remote mountain village in Matnog town, on the southern island of Mindanao, on Sunday.

Lieutenant-Colonel Julieto Ando has disputed the account, saying soldiers were on a routine patrol when they were attacked by the Muslim rebels.

"It was the rebels who fired the first shot," he said.

The Government of the mainly Catholic country and the MILF are trying to end decades of violence, but talks have stalled since May amid differences over territory.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu says the incident remains "isolated" and will not affect the group's truce with the Government.

The MILF has warned that business groups, local politicians and the military are out to sabotage peace talks to maintain their political and economic control of the south.

The Philippines Government has been talking with the MILF for nearly 10 years to try to end a rebellion that has killed more than 120,000 people and displaced over one million since the late 1960s.

Previous truces broke down in 2000 and 2003 after the army launched offensives against the MILF.

The Government failed over the weekend to meet a self-imposed September 30 deadline for a fresh initiative to kick-start stalled peace talks, amid differences over the size and wealth of a proposed Muslim homeland in the south.

- Reuters