Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Ancestral domain proposal not enough to resume talks
THE government's latest proposal on the ancestral domain issue is not enough to jumpstart its peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
This was the opinion made by the Muslim secessionist group who suspect "bad faith" on the part of the government.
In a report by www.luwaran.com, Khaled Musa, deputy chairman of the MILF committee on information, said: "to agree to discuss the latest government gambit is to give it more and more elbow rooms to maneuver to delay the talks."
"It is simply a non-starter. It is like giving a clever boxer a bigger ring, which he uses to hit an opponent, withdraw, flick flurry of punches, and pile up points," Musa said.
The MILF official added that the issue on ancestral domain has long been settled by the parties as early as February 22, when the Malaysian chief facilitator made his last shuttle between Manila and Darapanan (MILF camp).
"Why disturb a finished document, if not bad faith is the motivating factor," Musa said.
Last week, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared the approval of the government proposal on the ancestral domain issue. It was learned though that as of this writing Monday, the MILF has still yet to receive a copy of the proposal.
The MILF earlier warned of the collapse of the peace negotiations if it wouldn't resume by August 31, the day when the International Monitoring Team (IMT) expires its mandate.
Musa said that if this happens, the likelihood of the ceasefire also collapsing is very great and fighting might resume in Mindanao. (BOT)
