MNLF chairman and Gov. Nur Misuari of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao made the assurance to De Venecia in Bangkok, Thailand where he made a stopover on his way to the Middle East.
De Venecia is attending the 22nd general assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization in Bangkok.
"We continue to honor the peace agreement as our obligation. But the government must rectify its blunder if it considers us as partners in peace. The government must not harbor traitors and use them as weapons against us," the Speaker quoted Misuari as telling him.
The "traitors" the MNLF head referred to are apparently the 15 MNLF officials fighting his leadership who signed a unity agreement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last month with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Misuari believes the Arroyo administration is using those opposed to him to edge him out of the MNLF leadership and the autonomous Muslim region.
Officials accompanying De Venecia said the MNLF chairman named Presidential Adviser on Special Concerns Norberto Gonzales as behind this policy.
They quoted Misuari as urging the administration to abandon such policy, claiming it’s an "act of betrayal" of the peace agreement.
"If the government did not move, that could be the end of the road for us and Mindanao might go back to war," he said.
De Venecia told Misuari that the administration has no hand in the fighting in the MNLF and that it is not sidelining him.
He said Misuari should "stay on center stage" so he could continue to influence the direction of the autonomous region in the South.
The Speaker heads a 10-member group attending the Bangkok parliamentary meeting. He is expected to return on Monday. – Jess Diaz