Govt wary of existence of MILF splinter group

Should we sign a peace agreement, or should we forge a separate peace agreement with your rogue commander? This was, in a nutshell, the question asked by the head of the government negotiating panel to negotiators from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as they began exploratory talks in Malaysia on Wednesday. In his opening statement, Marvic Leonen noted the existence of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a splinter group founded by rogue MILF commander Ameril Umbra Kato. Kato was linked to a series of attacks in Central Mindanao after the Supreme Court thumbed down a Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain between the government and the MILF in 2008. “After the (government) signs an agreement with the MILF, will it then have to set up another table to negotiate with the BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters)? Is the BIFF still part of the MILF? If it is, which has the true command over the MILF’s coercive forces, the BIAF or the BIFF? What assurances do we have that the BIFF, if no longer MILF, will respect our ceasefire with the MILF? Or, do we have to set up a separate ceasefire infrastructure for the BIFF? Which has the greater constituency, the MILF or the BIFF in the areas of operation of Ustadz Amiril Umra Kato? These are questions that were asked of us and I am just summarizing it here," said Leonen. Leonen told the MILF that it is difficult to get the needed political critical mass to implement an agreement "if there are unaddressed splinter groups from your movement." He said the government is aware of an independent report on Kato that have been provided to both parties. “Sadly, they do not address these concerns. We hope that in this round we can have a full satisfactory answer," he added. Tough round, full schedule Leonen also said they expect a full schedule in the next few weeks, including meetings which range from command conferences of the area commands in Mindanao, consultations with local government officials, to meetings with legislators, former justices, Cabinet clusters and of course with their direct principal, President Benigno Aquino III. “We have no illusions that our own requirements for consultation will be easy. But if we are to truly learn from the mistakes of the past, we do need to have the patience to deliberately seek out many groups, receiving and discussing their sentiments in many different types of forums, many times clarifying perspectives. Of course, we do not seek universal consensus. What we are trying to achieve after all is a political settlement which should embody what we in government can deliver," he said. Still, he applauded the MILF’s decision to conduct consultations with non-Moro groups including indigenous peoples and business groups. He cited it for scheduling consultations with the Makati Business Club and many other prominent Manila-based organizations after this round of talks. "As I have stated informally with some members of civil society, this decision to come out publicly with the contours of your proposed Comprehensive Compact should cause a national discussion on a national issue: how to solve the Bangsamoro problem. It can complement our efforts. It will also help us—and our direct principal—to gauge the public pulse on political decisions that need to be taken. Your consultations are complementary to ours," he said. Leonen also made available the results of extensive consultations with Indigenous Peoples by the Mindanao Peace Caucus, saying this may be relevant to the peace talks. “We invite our counterparts to study it closely as an aid to understanding what some organized groups of Indigenous Peoples expect from these negotiations," he said. He also said both sides should always be on guard for text that may contain different meanings to both parties. “They may just be pitfalls for future misunderstanding and more serious conflicts." “After all, we share with you the hope that we do not sign an agreement solely because we want an agreement. We want an agreement that is workable on all levels while addressing most of the fundamental interests in a principled way," Leonen added. Observers Leonen also requested that the government panel be allowed to have a maximum of four observers apart from its panel and secretariat. “The observers may be members of our advisory committee or key members of Congress or even individuals who we need to consult time and again. We may need to invite personalities who sit in the other tables that the GPH has set up, i.e. the talks on the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement with the MNLF. The observers will be here only to watch and see the progress of the discussion (inclusive of all its passion) in real time. They will come at our own cost and they need not join all the agenda items," he said. He also suggested that the MILF reconsider its current position not to table for discussion the government’s earlier proposal to convene a technical working group that will meet in between meetings to work on these administrative matters. "As we have indicated in the past, an articulated and written Agreement on the Conduct of Talks will not only clarify how we work in the framework of these negotiations, it will also help us communicate to our constituencies the ground rules in the negotiation. We have made all of our agreements public. It was made possible because all of them were articulated and written. The only exception to this is what remains in oral tradition: the conduct of our talks," he said. Final agreement Leonen said the workability of any final agreement hinges on many things. First, he said the government hopes its agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) should not be exclusive to that with the MILF. Second, he said the government hopes the MILF and MNLF should not be at cross purposes with each other. “We know that the solution to this lies both with government and with the MILF’s dealings with the MNLF," he said. “We are here to negotiate ways to solve problems. That principally requires that we are open to seeing the problem realistically. Each of our sides can see portions of that reality. Let us reconstruct and review it in this table, candidly and always with an eye to what we mutually aspire: meaningful freedoms within a just and democratic society. Our peoples deserve nothing less," he added. — KBK, GMA News