For the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, achieving peace with the Arroyo administration is hopeless.
| "Nope. Nope. Can't do it. Kick her out and give us somebody else to negotiate with." |
Thus, it is pinning its hope on the next administration, which will come about after the May national elections.
| "We were thinking, maybe somebody with a turban. They're so much more understanding..." |
MILF spokesman Eid ("Lipless") Kabalu said that Malacañang is apparently making moves that would derail the upcoming peace negotiations. He was referring to supposed military intelligence reports, which he quickly brushed aside, that the brother of slain Indonesian terrorist Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi is helping train foreign and local recruits in an MILF camp in the mountains of Lanao. He said that the militaryâs accusation that Muhajir al-Ghozi has been supervising the training of terrorists in the borders of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur was enough reason to postpone the talks in Kuala Lumpur.
| "You take that back, or we're breaking off negotiations!" |
He noted that the military has kept recycling the issue that the MILF has ties with terror groups, like the Jemaah Islamiyah. âWe have been saying that we are a revolutionary organization with no links to terrorist organizations,â Kabalu stressed. âWe encouraged the government to investigate our camps in the Lanao area but it seems they are not interested.â
I suggest investigating them from the air, uainf using B52s... |
President Arroyo earlier warned that despite the ongoing peace efforts with the MILF, government troops would not hesitate to pursue JI terrorists in MILF areas. The President issued the statement after Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that at least 31 JI operatives are reportedly training MILF guerrillas in bomb-making in MILF strongholds in Central Mindanao. |