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Thursday, January 10, 2008
Gov’t seeks to create Muslim federal region
MANILA -- The Philippine government will ask Congress to amend the country's Constitution to allow the creation of a Muslim federal region in the south -- a key step aimed at breaking an impasse in talks with an Islamic militant group, an official said Wednesday.
The Malaysian-brokered talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) hit a snag in December when rebel negotiators walked away from a Kuala Lumpur meeting to protest Manila's insistence that the talks be held under a constitutional framework.
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The government was firming up a number of steps to revive the talks, said presidential adviser Jesus Dureza. A key step was to ask Congress to amend the 1987 Constitution for the sole purpose of creating an autonomous Muslim territory in southern Mindanao, a region that has seen decades of warfare between government forces and Islamic separatist rebels.
The MILF, which the military says has 11,000 fighters, is the largest group battling for self-rule.
Military officials have often accused the MILF of giving sanctuary to members of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group and to Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah. The MILF has denied any ties to the al-Qaeda-linked organizations.
The Philippine and US governments hope a peace accord with the MILF could transform its vast rural strongholds in Mindanao into economic growth hubs instead of conflict zones that could harbor militants.
Dureza said the current impasse is among the most serious to stall the rocky talks, which started in 2001.
"This is a big hump," Dureza told foreign journalists. "We're looking for a way out ... We don't have a magic formula."
The breakdown in talks came as a surprise after months of steady progress in negotiations, which led to the drafting of a key accord on the extent of southern Philippine territory that would fall under Muslim rule in a final peace accord. A 2003 ceasefire has largely held, guarded by Malaysian-led monitors.
Government negotiators, however, presented a draft agreement in December that implied the pact should conform with the Constitution.
The guerrillas vehemently objected.
"That was entirely unacceptable," rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said, claiming the government reneged on an earlier promise not to press the demand.
"We're not asking the government to violate its own Constitution," Kabalu said. "It should firm up its position according to its legal processes then come to us with offers in an open atmosphere."
Dureza said the government was working on a new draft accord he hopes will be more acceptable to the rebels.
Thousands of Muslim villagers, fearing new fighting could erupt, staged rallies Monday and Wednesday in two southern cities, urging the government and guerrillas to return to the negotiating table. (AP)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (January 10, 2008 issue)
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2 killed, 44 hurt at Black Nazarene feast