Moro guerrillas blame Arroyo for stalled talks
Say they're ready for war
By Jim Gomez
Associated Press
First Posted 17:53:00 05/11/2008
Filed Under: Unrest, Conflicts & War
MANILA, Philippines--Moro guerrillas said Sunday they're ready for war and accused the Philippine government of abandoning Malaysian-brokered peace talks by refusing to honor earlier accords.
Malaysia has complained about a lack of progress in the talks it has brokered between the two sides and withdrew 28 of its cease-fire monitors from the south Saturday in the first serious fallout from the impasse.
US and Philippine officials hope a peace pact between the Manila government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has an estimated 11,000 fighters, can transform parts of the south into flourishing economic hubs instead of battlefields and safe harbors for al-Qaeda-linked militants.
The talks hit a snag in December when rebel negotiators walked out to protest government insistence that earlier piecemeal agreements by both sides in more than three years of negotiations should conform with the Philippine Constitution.
In a statement on their web site, the rebels accused President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration of "deliberately reverting to war after it consistently refused to honor and abide by the 49 consensus points" on the issue of ancestral domain--the size of a territory that could be administered by minority Muslims.
"This is a tragic decision," said Muhammad Ameen, who heads a rebel secretariat. "Arroyo will leave the presidency with blood on her hands."
"We do not like war, war is a menace to everyone, but ... those who want peace to prevail must prepare for war," Ameen said.
Chief government negotiator Rodolfo Garcia said the government would not abandon the talks, and the military has given assurances it will respect the negotiations.
The government has initiated a legal review of the points of consensus accumulated during the peace talks to ensure they can withstand public scrutiny and any court challenges, Garcia said.
"We're looking at the Constitution not as a limitation but as a guide and a yardstick," Garcia told The Associated Press, appealing to the rebels for patience.
The monthlong legal review, which is winding down, has found that the Constitution and some laws may have to be amended to accommodate accords with the rebels.
Rebel negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said it was absurd for the government to forge agreements, then back off and say they must be restudied.
Officials said another Malaysian cease-fire monitor will leave in a few days and the rest of the 12 Malaysians are to depart Aug. 31. Brunei, Libya and Japan have also contributed to the truce-monitoring contingent, which has been credited with preventing major clashes since 2004.
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