Government hopeful issue on MILF facilitator will be settled soon

MANILA, Philippines - The Aquino administration is hoping that the issue of who will sit as facilitator in the peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would be resolved soon so that talks could resume.

“This will pave the way for the series of exploratory and formal talks that will effectively address all other procedural, security and substantial issues,” chief negotiator Dean Marvic Leonen said.

Leonen noted the peace negotiations between the government and the MILF hit a snag over the issue of the facilitator, as the Philippine government wanted Malaysian facilitator Datuk Othman bin Abd’ Razak out of the negotiating table.

But the MILF refused to conduct informal talks without Othman.

The government panel maintained Othman has to be replaced for peace talks to push forward, as officials claimed the Malaysian seemed biased for the MILF.

“We trust that Malaysia will seriously consider our legitimate concerns. As far as we are concerned, our panel has been anxious to start in the right way. We are committed to resolve the differences in good faith,” Leonen said.

According to Leonen, Othman has made statements trivializing the concerns of the Philippine government, and said that he is “not indispensable” for talks to continue.

“We are... surprised that he claims credit for the outcome of past negotiations. We thought that these are talks between the (Philippine government) and the MILF. Has he been dictating the terms of the agreements?” Leonen asked.

Leonen said Othman’s statements indicated the talks could move forward without him as facilitator.

“There is too much mistrust and recrimination. We trust that Malaysia knows all these and it does not have Othman but its goodwill to facilitate peace in Mindanao in mind,” Leonen said.

Leonen said that even the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made the appeal for Othman to be replaced, but this was denied.

Leonen said the Aquino administration is also hoping that the Malaysian government will also consider the Philippine government’s concerns regarding the facilitation.

Leonen said Aquino has replied to the letter of Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last November that stated Malaysia’s continuing interest to facilitate the talks.

Leonen said he personally handed Aquino’s letter through Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Leonen said he made the courtesy call and submitted his credentials indicating the Philippine government’s “sincerest desire to immediately resume the peace talks.”

Leonen stressed the government panel has done its homework and is very much prepared to address the issues against the MILF, particularly the remaining substantive agenda relating to ancestral domain and governance.

He added they are still awaiting positive response from the governments of Malaysia, Brunei, Libya and Japan on the issue of extending the International Monitoring Team’s (IMT) tour of duty in Mindanao.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs already sent notes verbale to the embassies on Wednesday, requesting their tour of duty of the IMT for three months from the end of its current tour on December 8, 2010,” Leonen said. -With Jose Rodel Clapano