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ZAMBOANGA CITY: The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that is
negotiating for an end to hostilities in Mindanao has appealed for
patience as Manila rejected demands for territories in Mindanao.
The MILF, an army of about 12,000 guerillas,
accused the Arroyo government of delaying the peace talks after
negotiations were stalled last year over demands for ancestral
domain.
Manila said the provisions of the peace
agreement should be within the framework of the Constitution. “Our
position is non-negotiable; any decision or even laws must conform
to the basic law,” Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said on Monday.
The ancestral domain is the single most
important issue in the peace negotiations before the rebel group can
reach a political settlement and with the talks stalled, the hope of
ending more than three decades of bloody hostilities remains dim.
Many rebel commanders are getting frustrated and
restless over the failure of the seven-year old peace talks with the
Arroyo government.
“We appeal for patience. It is very important
in the peace process. We don’t want to interfere with the
government on the issue of the Constitution. We don’t recognize
the Philippine Constitution and it is the problem of the Philippine
government how to address the issue on ancestral domain,” Eid
Kabalu, a spokesman for the MILF, told The Manila Times.
It was not the first time the MILF appealed to
Muslims. Its chieftain, Murad Ebrahim, previously made similar
appeals to rebels and sympathizers.
Rebel leaders said the Philippine peace panel
headed by Rodolfo Garcia agreed on the scope of the Muslim ancestral
domain, but later reneged on the accord that will constitute a
separate homeland for about 4 million Muslims and at least 18
indigenous tribes in Mindanao.
The MILF said Garcia insisted that the granting
of homeland to Muslims in Mindanao would solely be through a
Constitutional process that the rebel group previously opposed. The
Philippine Constitution prohibits the dismembering of the country.
Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF chief peace negotiator,
said his group would not compromise their demand for ancestral
domain. “We will not compromise our demand,” he said.
He said the government peace panel must honor
its commitment and previous agreement so the talks could resume.
“The government peace panel must honor its
commitment to the Bangsamoro people because we wanted peace to reign
and end the decades-old violence in Mindanao,” he said.
The MILF earlier warned that hostilities might
erupt in Mindanao if the peace talks fail. The Philippine military
previously demanded MILF rebels to lay down their weapons before
peace talks could resume.
Malaysia, which is brokering the seven-year old
peace talks, warned it would pull out its truce observers deployed
in Mindanao if there is no progress in the slow pace of the
negotiations.
-- Al Jacinto
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