MILF leader says rebels to keep door to peace open

Koronadal City—The highest ranking leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Friday said peace talks between the separatist guerrilla group and the government are still on despite an early disagreement over guerrilla demands for a bigger territory to rule.

Murad Ebrahim, MILF chair, said while the MILF resented the government’s proposed settlement, it wasn’t the end of the talks. Murad met with President Aquino recently in Tokyo in what was hailed as a breakthrough in the peace process.

Murad said the government proposal was “detached from what the two parties had agreed upon.” He refused to elaborate, however, on what the earlier agreement was.

Government officials quickly announced after the Tokyo meeting between Murad and Mr. Aquino that the guerrillas have dropped their demand for a separate state in Mindanao and have scaled it down to the creation of a “substate.”

During the three-day talks in Kuala Lumpur, however, the government panel offered “genuine autonomy” which guerrilla negotiators initially rejected, although not officially as Murad said the government offer was still being discussed by the MILF central committee.

In a statement posted on the MILF website, Murad said the central committee hasn’t reached a consensus on the government offer. “The MILF will make a consensus and collective decision on this as soon as possible,” he said.

But he said “the negotiations are still on.” “There is no declaration by either party that the talks had collapsed and they will continue,” said Murad.

He said, however, that the MILF won’t enter into any deal with the Aquino administration if the demand for self-governance and self-determination weren’t addressed.

Teresita Deles, presidential adviser on the peace process, said Murad’s statement was a positive sign. “We are relying on the fact that he had said the talks have not been terminated,” Deles said by phone.

The Supreme Court had junked as unconstitutional a proposed memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain that sought to expand territory for Moro rule.  Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao