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Muslim Separatists Praise Peace Deal with Philippines
MANILA, June 23 (News Agencies) - Muslim separatists who are fighting against oppression and discrimination in the Philippines hailed Saturday a landmark ceasefire signed with the Manila regime, saying it would kick-start desperately needed economic development in the war-ravaged south.
The accord, signed in Libya late Friday, would strengthen "the peace process," said Eid Kabalu, the spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has been waging a 23-year armed struggle seeking an independent Islamic state.
Kabalu said the deal, signed in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, would lead to the "introduction of economic development in Mindanao," the impoverished and neglected Muslim southern third of predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines.
However Kabalu said the MILF had not given up its demand for independence, stressing that no "political issues were tackled during the talks."
The deal was brokered over two days under the supervision of Seif al-Islam, who heads a Libyan charity foundation.
It will allow hundreds of thousands of families displaced by the regime's military response to the Muslim demands to return to their homes without fear of getting caught in crossfire.
President Gloria Arroyo's spokesman, Rigoberto Tiglao, said the ceasefire could be a prelude to a final political solution on the Muslim separatist problem.
"(Arroyo) sees it as a breakthrough in finally achieving a final long-term solution to their … problem," Tiglao said.
"We believe the framework will finally settle the MILF problem."
A copy of the accord released by the presidential palace here said that representatives of the 56-member Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), of which Libya is an influential member, will "observe and monitor the implementation" of the agreement.
Protection of evacuees will be paramount to any rehabilitation efforts, and development projects in conflict areas are to be managed by the MILF, except when public funds are involved, the agreement said.
"The parties shall safely return evacuees to their place of origin, provide all necessary financial and technical assistance to start a new life," the document said, adding they would also be "awarded reparations" for properties damaged in the fighting.
Kabalu stressed that even before the signing of the deal, the MILF and the government were observing a unilateral ceasefire covering conflict-areas in Mindanao.
"With the coming of the agreement now, the peace process would be strengthened with the OIC representatives to monitor," Kabalu said in a television interview.
"We hope that skirmishes can be avoided, although we cannot promise that it would be 100 percent avoided in reality."
With the agreement, the military is to pull its troops out of separatist strongholds it occupied last year following a massive assault ordered by then-president Joseph Estrada, Kabula said.
"Part of the agreement is the introduction of economic development and so long as the military is there, the people will be hesitant to go back to their respective (homes) because the fear is always there that trouble may erupt anytime."
"They have to leave to bring normalcy to the area."
The 12,500-strong MILF is the country's main Muslim separatist group.
It splintered from the larger Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1978, and was left out of a 1996 peace accord between Manila and the MNLF.
A smaller group claiming to be fighting under an Islamic banner, the Abu Sayyaf, is holding more than two dozen U.S. and Filipino hostages in southern Basilan province. The MILF has denied claims by the military its forces were sheltering the Abu Sayyaf from a massive military manhunt.
Some Muslim scholars have condemned the Abu Sayyaf group as un-Islamic for their violent and bandit like methods.
Several "working committees" to include representatives from both sides will also be activated to oversee implementation of the accord.
All MILF field commanders would be given copies of the agreement "which is a product of bilateral negotiations," Kabalu said.
Both parties acknowledged the efforts of President Gloria Arroyo for pursing "an all-out peace policy" with insurgent groups, as well as Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi for hosting the talks.
Further negotiations would take place in the capitals of Malaysia and Indonesia.
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