Monday, November 13, 2006
Gov't submits proposal to break deadlock in talks
MANILA -- The government has submitted a proposal to break the deadlock in peace talks with Muslim separatists, the rebels' chief negotiator said Sunday.
Mohagher Iqbal, the head of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's negotiating panel, declined to give details of the two-page proposal he said he received Friday from his government counterpart, Silvestre Afable.
A disagreement over the size of an area where Filipino Muslims could exercise a measure of control over land, resources and governance halted the latest round of Malaysia-brokered talks on September 6-7 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
"The (new) proposal is quite general and it touches on several issues," Iqbal told The Associated Press, without elaborating.
"What they have stated in their proposal is just a repetition of what we have discussed with the other side."
During the last round of talks in Malaysia, rebel negotiators rejected a government-proposed Muslim area, partly because the offer was subject to future "constitutional processes," which they contend should not bind the peace process.
Iqbal said the government had "expanded the issues," creating a problem on how to focus on the territorial aspect of the "ancestral domain" claims of minority Muslims in the southern Philippines, which the two sides had been discussing when the talks were snagged.
Jesus Dureza, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's adviser on the peace process, said the government is "hoping that (the proposal) can move us beyond the impasse situation."
Iqbal said it would take about a week to consult other members of the rebel panel and eventually the front's central committee before they are ready to respond to the proposal, which he also described "as an outline of what they wished to discuss."
He said no timetable has been set for a resumption of the talks, but he expressed hope it would be held before the year ends.
"I think that's the best option - to hold it this year, although we do not expect to finish it," he said. "I am not optimistic in finalizing the exact agreement on ancestral domain, but maybe we can move forward a little."
Despite the impasse, a ceasefire continues to hold, Iqbal said. "Both sides are holding their punches," he said.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, estimated by the military to have 13,000 members with 10,000 firearms, has been fighting for Muslim self-rule in the impoverished southern Mindanao region for decades. (AP)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Manila. (November 13, 2006 issue)
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