16/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - In a declaration published on 15 September, the French presidency of the Council of the EU said that it is, “deeply concerned by the escalation of violence in Mindanao (the big southern island in the Philippines: Ed), the growing number of civilian casualties and displaced persons”. Many civilians are victims of attacks by the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) since the outbreak of violence following the decision of the Supreme Court in the Philippines on 14 August to suspend the project to set up a Muslim region in the south of the country. The EU condemns 'the indiscriminate killing of civilians and calls for those responsible to face the due process of law” and also states that it is “concerned that civilian militias may become embroiled in the violence”. The EU strongly believes that the conflict in Mindanao can only be resolved through dialogue “urges the government of the Philippines and the MILF, who both have invested heavily in the peace process, to agree to an early return to negotiating table in order to seek a lasting solution to the conflict”.