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| Southeast Asia |
| A look at MILF's "peace" deal |
| 2006-03-27 |
| The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the countryÂ’s largest Muslim separatist rebel group negotiating peace with Manila, is likely to share sovereign powers with the Arroyo government in Mindanao, the MILF spokesman has said. Talks are under way to put up the so-called Bangsamoro government in the South, Eid Kabalu said Saturday. Kabalu said negotiators were discussing how the Muslims will run the proposed new government, but he was quick to say that both sides are seriously studying new formulas based on model countries such as Sudan, Palestine, East Timor, Northern Ireland and Bougainville. “Talks are going on about the proposal for a shared government and shared sovereignty between the BangÂsamoro people and the Philippine government. “The results of this proposal will depend entirely on the outcome of the peace negotiations. Once the new Bangsamoro government is finally set up, then the five-province Muslim autonomous region will be dissolved,” Kabalu told The Manila Times by telephone from his base in Maguindanao. He said the MILF was also proposing to government negotiators that the Muslims be given an option to choose in a referendum whether they wanted Mindanao to be an independent state or not. Peace negotiators last week discussed in Malaysia the scope of the territories of the Muslim ancestral domain, but the talks ended without any solid agreement, although they agreed to talk again next month. Malaysia, a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference, is brokering the peace process. Ancestral domain refers to the MILF demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland. In September government and rebel peace negotiators signed several agreements centered on ancestral domain—its concept, territories and resources, and how the MILF shall govern these areas. Kabalu said both peace panels are expecting to sign a formal agreement on ancestral domain once they finally thresh out contentious issues on territories. After the agreement is signed, Kabalu said, the MILF and government negotiators will negotiate to find a political solution to the Muslim secessionist problems in Mindanao. The MILF is fighting the past three decades for a separate Islamic state in the troubled, but mineral-rich region, home to about 4 million Muslims and more than 9 million Christians and ethnic and indigenous tribes. Ghazali Jaafar, MILF deputy vice-chairman for political affairs, said the Muslims in Mindanao are ready to govern their own homeland. “We are empowering our people so that they are more prepared to assume the reins of governance. This is our main thrust today in our current consultations, seminars and trainings with our regional and local officials and members,” Jaafar, former MILF chief peace negotiator, said in report posted on the MILF website. The report also quoted Silvestre C. Afable, government chief negotiator, as saying during last yearÂ’s MILF plenum in Maguindanao province that the Arroyo administration is ready to give the Muslims their homeland. The MILF said both peace panels have already signed at least 30 consensus points on ancestral domain, which included the recognition of the Bangsamoro as a nationality designation for both the Islamized and non-Muslim indigenous tribes in the southern Philippines. Peace negotiators reached an agreement in February on ancestral domain and the rebel group said it is near to signing a deal that will finally settle the Muslim secessionist problems. The MILF said government and rebel peace negotiators have already agreed on several crucial issues, including the coverage of ancestral domain in the five Muslim autonomous provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao. The agreement also covered other areas in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani where there are large communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes. Many local Muslims said they were supporting the MILF and the proposal to put up the Bangsamoro government, but majority of them wanted an independent Islamic state, similar to Iran. “ThatÂ’s good if the MILF can put up this Bangsamoro government in areas where there are large Muslim communities, like Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi and Central Mindanao. But if would be much better if we have our own government, a Muslim state, like Iran and run our government according to the teachings of Islam,” said Abdullah bin Rashid. Ustadz Shariff Julabbi, a former guerrilla leader and MILF spokesman, said Filipino Muslims would welcome an Islamic government in Mindanao. “This is the clamor of the millions of Filipino Muslims not only in Mindanao but all across the Philippines, to have their own government. The aspiration and determination of the Bangsamoro people is very strong and we are all supporting this proposal to put up a Muslim government in the southern region. “This land traditionally belongs to the Muslims, and the Philippines is originally Islam, part of the vast kingdom of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo. This land is ours,” said Julabbi, now leader of the Muslim separatist group called the Bangsamoro Mujahideen Alliance, which has a large following in the islands of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and some areas in the Zamboanga Peninsula in western Mindanao. But the former Muslim separatist rebel group, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which originally fought for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao, has distanced itself with the proposed Bangsamoro government, claiming Manila failed to honor the September 1996 peace agreement. The MNLF under Nur Misuari signed a peace deal with then-President Fidel Ramos ending more than three decades of bloody fighting in the South, and accepted limited autonomy over four Muslim provinces that were later expanded into five provinces. Misuari became governor or the Muslim autonomous region, but later accused the government of failing to honor the peace agreement. His forces attacked major military bases and held civilians hostage in Jolo and Zamboanga City. He fled to Malaysia, but was arrested there and sent back to Manila where he is facing rebellion charges. Muslim Sema, the MNLF secretary-general and also the mayor of Cotabato City in Maguindanao, said the government failed to honor the September 1996 peace agreement and that his group will not interfere with the peace talks between the MILF and the Arroyo government. In a separate interview, Sema said it was too early to anticipate the outcome of the peace talks. He said the MNLF is consulting thousands of its members about the failure of the 1996 agreement. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #8 WASHINTON TIMES has an article inferring that China's role in the Sudan may, or may not. include assisting in Muslim-controlled genocidal efforts againt Christians and non-Muslims. The Philippines is one China's so-called "first tier" islands/"String of Pearls" to effectively confront US interests in East Asia and PACOA/OCEANIA - "first tier" is just Chicom PC-speak for future Chinese Territories. China at last report is still heavily engaged in the repression of mainland Chinese Muslims, so the MILF'setal. turn will inevitably come. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-03-27 22:05 |
| #7 Doesn't matter anyway. Arabic will be the language of |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-03-27 17:58 |
| #6 Surely they don't speak Tagolog there, Seafarious. Isn't that the dialect of Manila? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-03-27 17:43 |
| #5 How do you say "Caliphate" in Tagalog? |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-03-27 09:22 |
| #4 CF, your spot on. Back in the 70's Marcos moved Chrisdtians into Mindanao to "water down" the muslim influence. Another example of failed land reform. Next step for the MILF will be to kick the Christians out and take back their land. The New Peoples Army, NPA, own and run the Christian lands through direction of the Comunist Peoples Party, CPP. Right now they, NPA and MILF, have signed a non agression pact. Once the MILF get autonamy they will begin the war with the NPA for the rest. Arroya has completely sold out her country. In ten years that country will be in full blown civil war pitting the OIC sponsored muslims against the Communist Chinese sponsored Christians. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2006-03-27 09:19 |
| #3 He said the MILF was also proposing to government negotiators that the Muslims be given an option to choose in a referendum whether they wanted Mindanao to be an independent state or not. Only the (4 million according to this article) Muslims get to decide eh? I guess (the 9 million) non-muslims are Shit-outta-luck and should prepare for Dhimmitude... Don't you just love the way Arroyo sold them out? And I hope she doesn't think that this would mean peace - my guess is that the MILF is already preparing to 'splinter' another group to continue the fight. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-03-27 08:24 |
| #2 Don't forget the latest MILF deal: one year access for $89.95! |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2006-03-27 07:57 |
| #1 based on model countries such as Sudan, Palestine, East Timor, Northern Ireland and Bougainville. Wow! Now that's picking winner role model countries, but wait, there's more. Let's look like Iran, now there's a winner. What Lipless Eid really did here was name the names of all the countries that have been supporting them and their terrorist actions. Good job, not! |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2006-03-27 07:47 |