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Friday, August 08, 2003
Negotiator bats for total truce with MILF
By Aurea A. Gerundio
DAVAO -- A negotiator of the government panel in talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said Thursday they are focusing on a ceasefire mechanism to be implemented while negotiations are ongoing.
Government panel member Irene "Inday" Santiago said during the I-Speak forum at the City Hall conference room that total ceasefire is needed for the negotiations to go far.
"It is difficult that while negotiations are going on there will be bombings anywhere," she said.
Santiago said total ceasefire would not only encourage evacuees to return to their communities but also help the economy recover.
"If you know anybody or any group trying to break the ceasefire, please report to the authorities. Kailangan din ng mga tao na maging (People need to be) vigilant regarding the matter," she stressed.
"During the last few times that the government panel meets, we discussed the security aspect, rehabilitation and development program and ancestral domain claims. We still have a long way to go," Santiago said.
Santiago also believed the death Hashim Salamat, MILF chair, will not affect the negotiations, which is expected to push through next week in Kuala Lumpur.
She is confident there will be continuity in the talks with the assumption of former MILF chief of staff Al Hadj Murad, MILF vice chair for military affairs, to Salamat's post.
Ghazali Jaafar, MILF vice chair for political affairs, said the MILF central committee met for seven days after Salamat's death and decided that Murad, whom experts regard as a pragmatist, would take over as the new chair.
Murad will also lead the MILF panel when peace talks resume in Malaysia. Sun.Star Davao
(August 8, 2003 issue)
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