Tuesday, May 01, 2007 MILF warns gov't on 'degenerating' peace process By Ulysses E. Israel
THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has issued warning on the government's handling of the peace process, saying the Moro rebel group should not be used for its advantages in the May elections.
The MILF, which issued this warning on its website luwaran.com on April 29, said "the erratic handling of the peace process by the government is playing into the hands of militants" in the wake of disclosure by an unnamed Cabinet official who claimed the MILF demanded the inclusion of 613 Muslim dominated villages in the expanded Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm).
Eid Kabalu said in a phone interview that in April 2005, government offered to the MILF 613 Moro dominated barangays outside of Armm for inclusion. "The MILF accepted the offer in principle, but it was not MILF's demand it was (government's offer)," he said.
"Government is guilty of breach of confidentiality of proceedings," he said.
"The government should explain its action," he added.
Khaled Musa, deputy chairman for information who has made the warning, said: "We are afraid we cannot hold our commanders for long if the peace process continues to degenerate."
He said that if the government has a game plan, especially with the fast approaching May elections, "it should not do it at the expense of the MILF".
He also cited the recent tension created in the midst of calls by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), another Moro rebel group, to reconvene the tripartite meeting and to fast track the implementation of the 1996 Peace Agreement.
MNLF commander Habier Malik and his men launched mortar attacks against a military detachment and municipal hall, which triggered a heavy military reprisal in the middle of April.
But in a recent TV network exposure, Malik said his group merely reiterated from continuous military bombardment.
Kabalu said MILF doubted the sincerity of the government in its dealings with the Moro rebel group.
Meanwhile, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye earlier expressed confidence that the stalled peace talks will resume immediately after the mid-term elections in May.
Bunye also revealed that President Gloria Arroyo has ordered for studies to be conducted on the new demand of MILF to include the whole of Sultan Kudarat province in the expanded Armm.
When Kabalu was asked to confirm the new demand, he said "I cannot confirm or deny. The statement is watered down already."
The ongoing peace negotiations between the MILF and the government reached an impasse over the issue of ancestral domain, particularly on the delineation of territories.
The applications of Sweden and Canada to join the International Monitoring Team would also be discussed during the resumption of the talks in Kuala Lumpur.
Various countries are waiting for the signing of the peace pact, which is seen to accelerate the development of resource-rich Mindanao.
Kabalu said "with the attitude of the government, the future of negotiations is not very bright."
