BusinessMirror, Tuesday March 20, 2007

Leaders of the Vienna-based International Peace Foundation raised grave concern over the spate of extrajudicial killings and the human-rights situation in the Philippines, but said that the military could still be an instrument of peace.

Prince Alfred Liechtenstein, chairman of the Advisory Board of the International Peace Foundation, is on a week-long visit to the Philippines along with Uwe Morawetz, chairman of the board of directors of the IPF.

They met with President Arroyo and leaders of the House of Repre­sentatives and the Senate as well as key businessmen Jaime Zobel de Ayala and Ambassador Alfonso Yuchengco.

"Extrajudicial killings must be op­posed as there is no excuse for some­thing like these. Governments should put in practice proper investigation to stop it," said Liechtenstein in a press briefing on Monday.

He said the use of "martial lan­guage" like the "war on terror" itself is resulting in rampant violations of human rights because of the use of violence to avert terror acts.

"The mere use of [the term] 'war on terror'. . .we oppose those views be­cause we cannot stop war with war, we cannot stop violence with violence," he said.

~ B. Torres