MILF pessimistic on interim peace agreement with govt

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is not keen on signing an interim peace agreement with the Philippine government. MILF peace panel member Lanang Ali said the government has been using “entirely foreign frameworks" and harping on issues that would derail the whole peace process. “I don’t see a clear breakthrough in the battle for drafts of the interim agreement," Ali said in an article posted Friday on the MILF website. “The government is clearly in a dribbling mode, not wanting to settle this issue soon enough," he added. Government is expected to submit soon a counter-draft to the MILF’s proposed interim agreement, which was tackled in a question-and-answer session in Kuala Lumpur last March 4. Ali said he did not expect anything new from the government’s counter-draft. He said the government approach is offering the MILF an internal process track that is “glued to the issuance of executive orders, legislative and promised constitutional actions." On the other hand, the MILF said it pursues a negotiated political settlement approach. Under this approach, both sides will have time frames and schedules within which to deliver and comply with their respective obligations. “Here the Parties are under scrutiny or pressure to comply; not allowing each party to hang around and delay compliance," the MILF said. — LBG, GMANews.TV