The separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has been waging an internecine war in the Southern Philippines since the mid-l970s, has condemned the recent spate of kidnappings in Mindanao.

In an editorial published in the MILF's official website " luwaran.com," the rebel group said that kidnapping local residents or foreigners is "an unconscionable act that deserved to be denounced and condemned in the highest degree."

The editorial was issued on the eve of the resumption of the peace negotiations between the government and the MILF in Kuala Lumpur which ended Wednesday.

The Kuala Lumpur meeting, the 25th round of formal exploratory talks, failed to resolve contentious issues, making it impossible for both sides to craft a peace agreement within the first quarter of this year, which the government has looked forward to.

In their joint statement issued at the end of the talks, both sides merely expressed "satisfaction on the progress of their discussions and recognizing the many challenges that have yet to be resolved in order to find a political solution to the Bangsamoro question and the armed conflict in Mindanao."

The two parties also acknowledged "the need to explore creative approaches that will address the political, legal and other dimensions of the problems." They agreed to meet again next month, also in Kuala Lumpur.

In the MILF editorial, the rebel group said that it is always bad to kidnap anybody but when foreigners are the victims, it becomes doubly difficult because sometimes it is linked to the issue of international terrorism.

"It feeds into the appetite of those who want the conflict in Mindanao attached to the global war on terrorism," the editorial said.

There are allegations that the MILF are aiding or giving sanctuaries to terrorist elements in Mindanao, including those with links to the terror group Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiyah.

The MILF, however, have denied these allegations although it has admitted that some former MILF combatants have joined lawless groups known as "lost commands."

The MILF editorial viewed kidnapping not just an act of barbarity but also a grave sin in the eyes of the Almighty.

"In its lesser level, it is an anti-people activity that whosoever does it earns the wrath of the people," the MILF said, adding that all the kidnappers that they knew ended up not only as hated men but also poor and penniless despite getting millions from their "industry."

It mentioned some notorious kidnappers, such as Abugado "Gado" Mubarak, Tahir Alonto, and Abu Sabaya, who are all dead now.

The MILF also advised foreigners visiting Mindanao to be "extra careful" because, according to the group, no one has absolute control over this region, not even the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) nor the MILF.

"This region can be classified as 'ungovernable territory,' hence, the proliferation of kidnappings," the MILF said.

It also called on foreigners to coordinate with them if they want to visit areas in Mindanao where they have influence "so that we can give them pertinent advice or provide them with escorts."

The MILF described the kidnappers as "difficult creatures to deal with and have one-tracked minds with only the glare of money, especially dollars, in their minds."

The rebel group also frowned on the giving of ransom to kidnappers because this would only add difficulty in negotiating for their release. "Chances are that those who participate (in the negotiation) stand the chance of being linked to the kidnapping," it said.

According to the MILF, at least three foreigners are still in the hands of their abductors in Mindanao: Elwold Horn from Holland, Lorenzo Vinciguerra from Switzerland, and Warren Rockwell from Australia.

The exact fate and whereabouts of the three are still unknown although in the case of Rodwell, the MILF said he is already in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan of which they had no contact whatsoever.

The abduction last Feb. 1 of Horn and Vinciguerra in Parangan, Panglima Sugala, Tawi-Tawi by armed men, has prompted the embassies of the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Canada to issue advisories to their citizens not to travel to Mindanao.

The two foreigners, reportedly wildlife photographers, were seized while on board a pump boat along with a certain Ivan Sarenas, a local guide, who was able to escape.

Rodwell was kidnapped by five gunmen disguised as policemen in December last year from his home in the seaside town of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay province and was brought to Basilan.

His kidnappers have demanded 2 million U.S. dollars ransom from his Filipino wife Miraflor Gutang, 27, but Gutang said they cannot afford to pay.

Both the Philippine and Australian governments have rejected the ransom demand as well.