Doubts rising over signing of final government-MILF peace pact

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Signing of a final peace pact between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is not likely to happen under the present administration, North Cotabato Vice Gov. Emmanuel Piñol said yesterday.

According to Piñol, the recent appointment of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis as chief peace negotiator indicates the lack of time and preparation on the part of the government.

Piñol also claimed the MILF has not made any preparations for the possible resumption of peace talks.

“I don’t believe that they will be able to do something even with the naming of the GRP panel. It’s about a year and half left. And right now the problem of the MILF is they are not prepared,” Piñol said.

He said the MILF is basically fragmented into several factions, with the hardliners led by commanders Ameril Umbra Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar alias Commander Bravo who are opposed to negotiating peace with the government.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu, however, said Piñol was merely speculating on the fate of the peace negotiations.

Kabalu also denied Piñol’s claims that the MILF has not made any preparations for the resumption of peace talks.

Talks between the government and the MILF were suspended after the Supreme Court last August junked the territorial deal that could have allowed the Muslim rebel group self-rule over an expanded autonomous region in Central Mindanao.

The government subsequently disbanded the GRP peace panel and resumed military operations against the MILF commanders who led the attacks in the region that killed scores and left thousands of people displaced and homeless.

Kabalu said the MILF remains firm in its resolve to pursue peace talks with the government, notwithstanding the military offensives against the rebel leaders.

Kabalu said the MILF has not disbanded its peace panel.

“The MILF have remained prepared; in fact, we have not dissolved our negotiating panel led by chairman Mohagher Iqbal,” Kabalu said.

He said talks with the MILF “can resume if the government is ready.”

A visiting British lawmaker, on the other hand, urged the Philippine government to pursue the peace talks with the MILF, notwithstanding differences.

MP Mark Pritchard, chairman of the Philippine Committee in the British parliament, said he has no doubt that the Arroyo administration “has the sincerity to continue the peace process and negotiate.”

“Peace is a prize worth pursuing. There will be stumbling blocks along the way. But with hard work, patience and perseverance, peace will come,” Pritchard told reporters after a lecture at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City yesterday.

Pritchard predicted that peace would finally come to Mindanao next year. “It will be a cultural benefit for Mindanao and the rest of the country,” he said.

Pritchard said his committee had a meeting with Seguis who apprised them on the situation in the southern Philippines.

Pritchard cited the British experience in dealing with the separatist Irish Republican Army (IRA).

He mentioned the efforts made by the British government to pursue peace with the IRA that led to the St. Andrews’ Agreement in October 2006.

“It’s important the peace process (with the MILF) is restarted as soon as possible. We support the peace process. We recognize that there will be stumbling blocks but there is a need to work hard, be persistent, and to persevere because the price of peace is worth pursuing,” Pritchard said.

Pritchard led a delegation with MPs Graham Stuart and Elliot Morley and Mrs. Jill Beckingham, wife of British ambassador Peter Beckingham, in visiting the Philippine Christian Foundation (PCF)-run school in Vitas, Tondo and the site of a school made from recycled container shipping vans, a project of British charity founder Jane Walker, in Smokey Mountain.

The British lawmakers will meet today with President Arroyo and Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales.

Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura also said Tokyo is hoping that Manila and the MILF would return to the negotiating table and revive the peace talks.

Katsura also emphasized Japan’s determination to continue assisting the Philippines in its efforts to pursue peace in Mindanao.

Katsura said the Japanese government, being the largest donor of official development assistance (ODA), has been providing extensive assistance for reconstruction and development of the conflict affected areas in Mindanao.

“As for the peace-building efforts in Mindanao, needless to say, we have no intention whatsoever to interfere in the Philippines’ domestic affairs, but upon request, we will continue to assist the Philippines’ efforts for peace building,” Katsura said.

Last month, Robert Hannigan, the Security Adviser to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and head of the United Kingdom Security, Intelligence and Resilience, met with the MILF in Davao to share the British position as regards the IRA.

Hannigan also urged the government and the MILF to return to the negotiating table.

Hannigan emphasized the difficulties in finding solutions for peace but stressed both panels should achieve “the prize at the end of this which is a peaceful prosperous life for ordinary people and their families.”

Lawmakers led by Sen. Manuel Roxas II earlier warned the government and the MILF that they couldn’t succeed in peace negotiations if both sides insist on using the same framework.

Roxas said the success of renewed peace negotiations would not depend on the appointment of Seguis but on the framework and structure given to him by the President and peace adviser Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr.

Roxas cited the territorial deal that was junked by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional since it was made without prior consultations with residents affected by the deal.

Roxas said the framework must be established on a proactive stance, not to turn back on what has been achieved and agreed upon. – With Reinir Padua, Pia Lee-Brago