Hanoi (VNA) – President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has urged the Abu Sayyaf rebel group to stop pirate activities and start direct negotiations with him.
Speaking after visiting soldiers injured in the fight with the rebel group, Duterte said that negotiations can take place if Abu Sayyaf stops all the illegal actions.
Earlier, the Philippine leader affirmed that, no peaceful measures can be applied to tackle Abu Sayyaf. However, as 10,000 deployed soldiers could not handle kidnapping in the country’s southern region, he said, adding war is not the solution.
Duterte has called for a peace process with all rebel groups nationwide, excluding Abu Sayyaf, since he addressed the group as cruel enemy of the country given they took innocent lives for money.
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