Thursday, March 13, 2008 MILF tells Arroyo: Time is running out
THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) warned the Arroyo administration that time is running out for the forging of a peace agreement, its statement coming at a time when various issues confront President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
In a report posted in www.luwaran.com, MILF committee on information deputy chair Khaled Musa said "more and more people are doubting the sincerity of the government to push for a genuine peaceful settlement to the conflict in Mindanao."
"Barely two years are left of Arroyo's term of office and 2009 would be a busy year for her in choosing the best bet in the 2010 presidential elections who will protect her, her family, and their wealth from possible suits or confiscations from a hostile new president," Musa said.
Musa also rued the government's treatment of the peace process as a counter-insurgency measure rather than a problem-solving mechanism to address the centuries-old problem in Mindanao.
He however said a peace deal was still possible if there is firm commitment to pursue it.
But again Musa doubts if a deal would be forged, citing how government allegedly tried to dupe the MILF by urging it to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain on three strands only, namely, concept, resources and territory "minus governance."
The MILF protested this vigorously, saying no MOA is forthcoming without governance.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte earlier expressed his disappointment with how the government is "playing around" in their dealings with the MILF.
The city mayor said the national government should have informed the MILF of the limitations of their negotiations right on the very first day of their talks.
The government and the MILF have started talking peace in January 1997 under the presidency of Fidel Ramos, and it was continued in the time of ousted president Joseph Estrada but aborted when he ordered an all-out war against the group in March 2000.
After Estrada's downfall and President Arroyo came into power, the peace talks resumed. She abandoned the all-out war policy of her predecessor in favor of an all-out peace approach.
"But it turned later that this was more of a gimmick rather than a sincere policy when she launched another all-out war against the MILF on February 11, 2003 in what is known as the attack on Buliok Complex," the report stated.
The MILF said they doubted if a peace deal would be reached this year and blamed Arroyo's ongoing political crisis over alleged corruption as the main reason for constant delays in the negotiations.
MILF chief Al Haj Murad said the "uncertainty" is causing anxiety among the rebel ranks with some of them already calling for an end to the talks and for the MILF to pursue its armed struggle for self-determination.
It was learned that the MILF top brass led by Murad and his top military aide, Abdul Aziz Mimbantas, and political officer Ghazali Jaafar held a four-day meeting that ended Tuesday. (BOT)
