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Saturday, October 29, 2005
MILF gets back on peace talk critics
THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Friday criticized politicians who were opposing a government deal that would grant a separate homeland for Muslims in Mindanao.
Khaled Musa, deputy chairman of the MILF's information committee, said Filipino Muslims have the right to determine their own political future.
"The right of the Bangsamoro people to determine their own political future is not subject for veto by any group in Mindanao. This is a God-given right, and is spelled out in the Tripoli Agreement of 2001 signed by the Filipino government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
"The right to self-determination is also well entrenched in the Charter of the United Nations," Musa said.
Earlier, Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat denounced an agreement signed by the government and rebel peace negotiators that would eventually create a Moro homeland for the MILF.
He said Manila signed a secret deal with the rebels that would allow them to establish an Islamic state across Mindanao under the guise of the so-called Muslim ancestral domain, which the MILF demanded in the past.
"This is a complete sellout, and we will not allow Mindanao to be dismembered, and we must act swiftly before it is too late," Lobregat, an opposition leader, said.
Other lawmakers allied with Lobregat also criticized the agreement.
President Gloria Arroyo opened peace talks and forged a ceasefire in 2002 with the MILF, the largest Muslim separatist rebel group in the southern Philippines.
Musa said the MILF did not discuss with the government the establishment of a separate Islamic state in Mindanao, but the political settlement of the longest running Muslim insurgency in the world.
"The MILF has never brought up, or will ever bring up, the issue of (putting up an) Islamic state, or Islam, in the peace talks, because this is internal to the Moros. What we are (discussing) up in the talks is the political settlement of the conflict," he said.
Many Arab countries, including the influential Organization of Islamic Conference and the United States are supporting the peace talks.
Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF vice chairman for political affairs, said his group is unfazed by the series of negative remarks against the peace talks.
"There is nothing sinister in the peace talks and we are very sincere in pursuing an end to the Mindanao problems and bring peace and stability in the region.
"We are urging everybody to join us and support the peace process and find a lasting and just solution to the Bangsamoro problem," Jaafar said.
Jaafar cited the success of other countries in dealing with their own Muslim secessionist problems, like in Bougainville, Sudan, Eritrea, Kosovo, Ireland, East Timor, and even in Palestine.
"If we persist to be selfish, we will only be the ones left with internal strife that could last forever. Other states with similar problems are poised for settlements soon or have already settled them because their leaders are not selfish, greedy, and feeble minded," he said.
Aleem Aziz Minbantas, the MILF's vice chairman for military affairs, expressed optimism about the peace talks.
Minbantas has lauded Arroyo for her determination to resolve the MILF problems in Mindanao.
"The peace talks between the government and the MILF have been yielding positive breakthroughs, which indicate the high prospect of peacefully solving the centuries-old conflict in Mindanao," he said.
The MILF earlier said a peace agreement with Manila would further strengthen the government's anti-terrorism campaign in Mindanao, where security forces and rebels have joined to hunt down Jemaah Islamiya and Abu Sayyaf militants tied to Al-Qaeda network.
Muhammad Ameen, of the MILF's central committee, said: The peace deal would make the MILF a strong partner, such as, in combating syndicated crimes and other forms of evil activities, like terrorism."
Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the MILF, said a peace pact with the government will further strengthen efforts to jointly combat terrorism in Mindanao.
"It will give us great opportunity to deal more effectively in combating not only threats of terrorism, but also criminality. The MILF is really sincere in bringing peace and help the government develop Mindanao," Kabalu said.
The MILF has signed previous agreements on several issues centered on the ancestral domain.
Both the government and rebel peace negotiators have already agreed on several important matters on ancestral domain - its concept, territories and resources, and will negotiate about how the MILF shall govern these places.
Ancestral domain 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 MILF can reach a political settlement.
Both sides have agreed on several crucial issues, including the coverage of a proposed ancestral domain in the five Muslim autonomous provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao, and other areas in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces, where there are large communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes.
Once an agreement is reached on how the MILF can govern these areas, the government and rebel peace negotiators would finally discuss the political settlement of the country's longest-running Muslim insurgency problem.
President Gloria Arroyo said early this year that 80% of the peace talks have been completed and that permanent peace in Mindanao is within reach.
MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim, for his part, said his group is sincere in the talks and is willing to end the hostilities in Mindanao.
"Peace is almost at hand. After decades of unrelenting struggle, our flickering hope for a just and comprehensive political solution to the Bangsamoro problem is rekindled. Our legitimate aspiration for a rightful place in our society has once again assumed its proper shape."
"Our life-long dream to establish and develop our homeland as a permanent legacy to the next generation of Bangsamoro people, and the generation after that, which they can call their own, will soon - insha' Allah (God willing) - become a reality," Ebrahim said.
Peace talks are expected to resume after the Ramadan to finalize an agreement on the proposed homeland for three million Muslims on Mindanao. (Al Jacinto)
(October 29, 2005 issue)
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