Saturday, August 16, 2008 US opposes independence for Mindanao
UNITED States Ambassador Kristie Kenney said: "independence for Mindanao is not appropriate."
Speaking during the 45th founding anniversary of the National Defense College of the Philippines at Club Filipino, in Greenhills, San Juan last Friday, Kenney said the US government believes in the capability of Filipinos to resolve the conflict even as she pledged her country's support for the peace process.
"We are strong supporters of lasting peace in Mindanao as a way to achieve development. We do not believe that independence for Mindanao is appropriate," she said.
She said an agreement to end the decade-long conflict in the region should be done within the territorial integrity of the Philippines.
But Kenney added that a lasting peace agreement would "be a good deterrent to terrorism, good for security, and would help spur economic development in Mindanao."
Earlier, critics of the peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have raised issues of territorial integrity regarding the expansion of the present Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) into the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE), which would cover more than 700 barangays.
Local officials from North Cotabato, Zamboanga City and Iligan City said the BJE is akin to the formation of another state and the granting of independence to the MILF.
They likewise questioned Kenney's presence at the aborted signing of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) between the government peace panel headed by former Armed Forces chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and the MILF in Malaysia.
According to Kenney, her presence was a normal part of the activities of a member of the diplomatic corp.
"I was invited as a member of the diplomatic corp of the Philippines," said the ambassador, adding that she doesn't even know the provisions and content of the MOA.
At the same time, Kenney junked as "pure speculations" reports that the US has plans to build military bases in Mindanao that is why it supports the peace process.
"I have a very honest answer, no. We do not have plans to have military bases in the Philippines, not in Mindanao, not anywhere," she said.
She said US Special Forces stationed in the region are not involved in combat operations with Filipino soldiers. (AH/Sunnex)
