Arroyo declared its keenness on reaching a lasting peace deal in Mindanao

 By Rexcel Sorza, IOL Philippine Correspondent

ILOILO CITY, Philippines, September 13 (IslamOnline.net) – The stalled peace talks between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) may finally resume in Malaysia next month, both parties separately announced.

“The Government and the MILF have eyed the month of October for the resumption of the formal peace talks in finding a just and comprehensive political solution to the armed conflict and the Bangsamoro problem,” MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar said Saturday, September 13, in a statement posted in their official website.

Speaking for the MILF, he said the MILF and the Philippine government have committed to resume the formal negotiations next month in Kuala Lumpur. The commitment was reached during an exploratory talk held in the Malaysian capital last September 5-6. No exact date has been announced yet.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople confirmed that preparations are on track for the resumption of peace talks between the government and MILF, which is fighting for an independent Islamic state for the Bangsamoro people in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

“We are in constant touch with the Malaysian Government on this and we deeply appreciate their untiring efforts to bring the parties to the peace table and to facilitate the peace talks,” Ople said in a September 11 statement sent to IslamOnline.net.

Ople disclosed that he met early this week and discussed the matter with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, presidential peace process adviser Eduardo Ermita and presidential adviser of special concerns Norberto Gonzales.

“Upon their return from Kuala Lumpur last Monday where they had informal discussions with the MILF, I met with Secretaries Ermita and Gonzales and discussed the latest developments and planned our future actions. Talks could start in October and this will be preceded by intense preparations for the establishment of the International Monitoring Team,” Ople further revealed. 

“The monitoring team will be headed by Malaysia and will be a critical factor in achieving peace, as the team will monitor the ceasefire while talks are going on.  The team will also have members coming from other countries,” Ople added.

The peace talks scheduled next month would be the first formal resumption of the negotiations between the government since March 2002, where President Arroyo suspended the talks due to renewed hostilities.

A series of exploratory talks have been held since August to pave the way for the resumption of the formal negotiations. A meeting of the committees on the cessation of hostilities of both camps proved fruitful as no major skirmish took place.

The MILF, which broke away from the Moro National Liberation Front, started to push for a lasting peace accord with the Philippine government in 1992. MNLF has inked a peace accord with the government in September 1996.

Jaafar, meanwhile, emphasized that the resumption would still depend on the ground situation. “But of course this depends on the improvement of the situation in the ground,” Jaafar stressed, adding that both parties reiterated to minimize, if not to prevent violence, so as to normalize situation in conflict-affected areas in their recent exploratory talks. 

He confirmed that part of this “normalization process” is the deployment of the Malaysian-led multinational group to monitor the implementation and observance of all previous agreements entered into between the MILF and the Philippine government.

On September 11, the armed forces of the MILF were ordered to exercise maximum restraint in order to prevent armed confrontations amid continued military campaign launched by the government troops in several parts of Mindanao. 

National security adviser Roilo Golez said that the MILF has been faithful to its commitment of avoiding an armed confrontation with the government troops. “In fact for the first week of September this year, there is zero activity on the part of the MILF. And that's good because the peace process is working," Golez said.

“We want peace that is good for the country because the dream of everybody is to convert Central Mindanao not only into a zone of peace but a zone of development as well,” Golez further said.

In June 28, 2001, the peace agreement signed by both parties in Tripoli, Libya, the MILF and the Philippine government declared that the peace negotiations “are for the advancement of the general interest of the Bangsamoro people and other indigenous people.” 

At least 100,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the conflict in Mindanao, with some estimates exceeding 150,000 deaths. Approximately 55,000 people have been displaced by the conflict.

All sectors in Mindanao, an island rich in natural and human resources, which has been the center of the armed conflict between the MILF and the government troops, hope that the talks would end in a settlement of conflict and would bring about a lasting peace. 

“The potentials of Central Mindanao are so great. Experts even say that if we can maximize the productivity of Central Mindanao, it can provide a food requirement for the entire country," Golez disclosed.