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Thursday, October 19, 2006
Charges vs Moro leader endangers peace talks
By Al Jacinto
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Wednesday protested the inclusion of its chieftain in a criminal case filed in connection with the recent Mindanao bomb attacks, warning it could endanger the already stalled peace talks.
"This is a very serious development. We are now discussing this issue. This could imperil the peace talks," Mohager Iqbal, the MILF chief peace negotiator, said.
Police filed a murder complaint Tuesday against MILF chairman Murad Ebrahim and several suspected MILF commanders for allegedly plotting the October 10 bomb attack that killed six people and wounded 29 in North Cotabato province.
Three Indonesian militants, including top terror suspects Dulmatin and Umar Patek, and a Pakistani national, were also included in the complaint.
Rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu denied Ebrahim was involved in the attacks and warned of a "total breakdown" in the Malaysian-brokered peace talks if the government pursued criminal charges against the rebel leader.
"If they pursue this, it may lead to a total breakdown in the peace process," Kabalu said.
The MILF described the allegations against Ebrahim as "a wholesale fabrication and a big lie."
It was not immediately known what evidence the police have on Ebrahim.
North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Pinol earlier accused a top MILF commander, Basit Usman, as behind the Makilala bombing.
The MILF has previously denied any involvement in the bombings, but police said a former rebel, who surrendered to the government, implicated Ebrahim and the others.
Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza said he was surprised to learn that Ebrahim was linked to the bombing. "I was really surprised to hear that they included MILF chairman Murad Ebrahim to the bombing. I have not seen any connection of the MILF leader to the bombing."
"This development is very sensitive because this can have an effect to our peace efforts in Mindanao," Dureza said, adding, he has to see the charge sheet against Ebrahim.
The MILF is the country's largest Muslim rebel group fighting for a separate Islamic state similar to Iran.
Manila began peace negotiations with the MILF in 2001, but no major accord has been signed by both sides, except for a cease-fire agreement. And many rebels are slowly losing their patience on the five-year old peace talks.
Peace talks ended last month in Malaysia with both sides failing to sign any agreement on the most contentious issue -- ancestral domain -- which refers to the MILF demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland. It is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the rebel group can reach a political settlement.
Ebrahim earlier this month warned that Manila should be blamed if the peace talks fail.
He said the talks are now passing "a turbulent area" and that the Philippines government must take responsibility for the breakdown of the negotiations.
"This signals that we are now on the danger zone of the peace talks," Ebrahim said, referring to the failure of the negotiations on September 9 held in Malaysia, which is brokering the peace talks.
The MILF has rejected Manila's offer for a limited autonomy in the mineral-rich, but restive Mindanao Island, home to about four million Muslims who want a separate Islamic state.
The Philippine government has expressed confidence that a three-year-old cease-fire would hold despite the impasse. (AP/Sunnex)
(October 19, 2006 issue)
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