Govt panel: No signing of ‘done deal’ in KL talks

There will be no signing of any "done deal" when the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front resume formal peace negotiations in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, the government chief negotiator said. Marvic Leonen made the clarification as he said the government will only submit a proposal for peace and development in Mindanao in the formal exploratory talks. "Contrary to claims of critics, the GPH panel is not going to Malaysia to sign a peace agreement. We have learned from the lessons of the past and we will not repeat the same mistakes. I would like to emphasize that there is no ‘done deal,’" Leonen he said in a statement posted early Monday on the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process website. Instead, Leonen said the government panel will present its proposal to the MILF on the first day of the talks, following the "secret" meeting between President Benigno Aquino III and top MILF leaders in Japan last Aug. 4. Leonen said this proposal is "guided solely by national interest and based on our consultations with the different stakeholders in the Mindanao peace process." Both sides are to meet in Kuala Lumpur for formal exploratory talks from Aug. 22 to 24, with the main agenda being the government’s submission of a proposal to bring peace and development in Mindanao. "The MILF Peace Panel will have to review the GPH proposal and seek clarifications of its contents. The next step is for both panels, in the spirit of transparency and inclusivity, to consult with the stakeholders so we can forge a peace agreement, as nothing yet is final," Leonen said.

Meanwhile, Leonen said the government panel will bring up the issue of “rogue" MILF commander Ameril Umbra Kato, who had formed his own Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). Kato had also led "lost commands" in attacks in Mindanao after the Supreme Court in 2008 junked a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain between the government and the MILF. "We will be seeking clarification on the status of Kato and the BIFF from our counterparts in the MILF. In the meantime, we are deep into our preparations for the upcoming talks as the entire administration remains committed to the primacy of the peace process," Leonen said. — RSJ, GMA News