Mindanao sectoral leaders to gather for three-day dialogue on peace talks

COTABATO CITY — All is set for what organizers describe as a "mammoth gathering" of sectoral leaders from across Mindanao on May 29-31 in nearby Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao for a dialogue on the prospects of the ongoing peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Sultan Kudarat Mayor Tucao Mastura, who is helping oversee the gathering, said health authorities and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division are now busy with their preparations to ensure the success of the dialogue.

"We expect more than 50,000 people will attend the gathering," Mastura told The STAR in a mobile phone interview.

Libyan Ambassador Salem Adam and other representatives of Muslim states belonging to the Organization of Islamic Conference will attend the multisectoral dialogue.

Brig. Gen. Ramon Santos, chairman of the government’s ceasefire committee, said the three-day event, organized by the MILF central committee, is meant to build a consensus on key issues in the peace talks.

The MILF earlier invited embassy officials of European countries and representatives of the United Nations to observe the three-day dialogue.

MILF sources said the dialogue will focus on socio-economic concerns besetting the areas covered by the ceasefire and the initial gains of the peace talks.

The peace talks started on Jan. 7, 1997, but have repeatedly been stalled by recurring hostilities in many flashpoint areas supposedly covered by the ceasefire.

Santos said the MILF ceasefire committee has been working closely with its government counterpart and the military in organizing the dialogue.

"The government’s ceasefire committee supports this kind of activity which is aimed at enhancing the ongoing government-MILF peace talks," he said.