MILF talks to gov't execs to avert Basilan battle

COTABATO – The government and Moro rebels are negotiating to prevent the outbreak of hostilities in the southern Philippines island-province of Basilan, a Moro Islamic Liberation Front official said Thursday. "There are efforts right now from government and our negotiators to prevent any fighting that may erupt and to normalize the situation not only in Basilan but all over Mindanao. We are doing our part in that effort. We believe that the best way to resolve the conflict is through peaceful means," said Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs. "Both parties agreed to resolve the problem – and even the military. They allowed the cease-fire committee to find out what really happen in Basilan, find out if there are violations in the cease-fire agreement and those responsible," Jaafar added. The MILF official said the efforts include Wednesday’s visit by Datuk Othman Bin Abdu' Razak, the chief Malaysian facilitator of the Philippines-MILF peace talks, who emphasized the importance of the peace talks. "Negotiation must be prioritized. Any problem along the way must be resolved in accordance with the mechanism of the peace talks. After all, the mechanisms were signed because it would help in the negotiations," Jaafar said. "If any move, like a punitive actions, will be use in resolving any problem outside the mechanism, it will just worsen the situation," he added. About 5,000 people have fled their homes from a number of villages Al-Barka town in where government troops are expected to mount an assault against MILF forces believed responsible for the death of 14 Marines, of whom 10 were beheaded and mutilated. Armed Forces chief General Hermogenes Esperon on Monday gave the go-signal to military forces massed up in Basilan to go after the Marines’ killers. On Tuesday, Colonel Ramiro Alivio, commander of the 1st Marine Brigade deployed in Basilan, said they are still waiting for the warrants of arrest for the close to 20 target personalities. The ultimatum issued by the military against the MILF to turn in those responsible for the attack lapsed on Sunday. At least two more Marine battalions have joined the battalion stationed in Basilan. A company of the Presidential Security Group has also deployed to province. The Marines were killed following a seven-hour clash with MILF members last July 10 in Tipo-tipo town while they were searching for then kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi. The military initially tagged the Abu Sayyaf Group, a terrorist band blamed for a series of kidnappings and bombings, but the MILF owned up to what it called a "legitimate encounter." Bossi was released in Lanao del Norte on July 19. The MILF has vehemently disowned the beheadings and maintains its forces killed 23 Marines. The Moro rebel group has also said five of its members and a Muslim cleric died in the firefight. The government and the 11,000-strong MILF have been trying to forge a peace accord but talks have stalled on the issue of ancestral domain or how much territory to include in a proposed Moro homeland. The Basilan clash has caused tension to rise. -GMANews.TV