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Government resumes policy to pursue peace talks


MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Monday confirmed that the stalled talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will resume and at the same time assured that the sentiments of local stakeholders will be considered before any peace pact will be crafted and approved. "We are committed to peace and restarting the peace process. To do that, we count on our Armed Forces to bring stability to the island, to regain order, to bring the lawless renegades elements to justice," she said in a speech during the 73rd anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. "The peace process should start again in a way that upholds our commitment to peace, the strong sentiment of the communities and the rule of law," she added. Talks with Moro rebels were suspended after some members frustrated at the halted signing of a territorial deal attacked parts of Lanao del Norte, North Cotabato and Sarangani in August, killing around 100 people including women and children. The Supreme Court halted the signing of the deal that was a prelude to final peace agreement. The proposal triggered divisions among Christians, Moro rebels and indigenous peoples in Mindanao. The deal sought to intensify the political and economic powers of Muslims through the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE), an expansion of what is now the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The BJE would include areas in Palawan, South Cotabato, Zamboanga City, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur. The Supreme Court declared the deal as unconstitutional in October. But even before the ruling, the state had decided to drop the agreement citing the MILF leadership’s inability to police its ranks. The government then decided to first conduct consultations among local communities before deciding whether the negotiations would be pursued. These developments also paved way for the abolition of the peace panel then headed by retired general Rodolfo C. Garcia. Early, this month, Executive Secretary Eduardo R. Ermita announced the appointment of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael E. Seguis as head of the soon-to-be-revived peace panel but did not confirm whether the negotiations will resume. In a chance interview, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Hermogenes C. Esperon, Jr. said the government has agreed "in principle" to resume the talks but has yet to form a new peace panel. "There are no panel members so far. As the President said we are still working towards the resumption of the talks," he said. Mr. Esperon said they have yet to set a date for the start of the negotiations and the composition of the peace panel. "The composition must be representative of the people of Mindanao because primarily they are the stakeholders. We must also consider the sentiments of the people in Visayas and Luzon." "We are also working on the other components of the peace process like the international monitoring team, the economic monitoring team and the facilitator aspect," he added. Mr. Esperon said they will also consider the views of local communities on how to deal with the lawless MILF elements, who are still being tracked down by security forces. Meanwhile, the MILF is at a loss on the government’s claim that the southern peace talks will resume anytime since there was no back-channelling talks in recent months. "The announcement should be bilateral. We really don’t know what the agenda of the government is," Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator and information officer, told BusinessWorld. Mr. Iqbal said the MILF was not informed of any plan for the resumption of talks "since we all know that the government doesn’t have a full panel of negotiators." Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel secretariat, said a sore point in future talks is the extension of the tour of duty of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) due to conflicting positions. Malaysia has pulled out all its remaining troops from the IMT on Nov. 30 due to the stalled talks. Kuala Lumpur has led the contingent that was formed out of a ceasefire pact. Mr. Mantawil said the MILF wants all violations of the ceasefire from July to November this year to be investigated by the IMT, but the government wants the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group to instead conduct the investigation. — Alexis Douglas B. Romero and Darwin T. Wee, BusinessWorld
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