ZAMBOANGA /COTABATO, 13 December 2003 — The separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday lashed back at Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita “for fabricating stories aimed at sabotaging the peace process.”
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said it appeared that Ermita was trying to destroy the MILF’s image in the international community when he claimed the rebel group was divided. Ermita was quoted by the local media on Thursday as saying a power struggle within the separatist group was preventing the conclusion of a peaceful settlement between the MILF and the government.
Ermita also insisted that certain MILF commanders were supporting the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and training dozens of Indonesian militants in the southern Philippines.
“The MILF is not supporting or aiding the JI and the MILF is united and there is no power struggle nor division among its tens of thousands of members,” Kabalu told Arab News by phone from a rebel hideout in Central Mindanao.
“We are still solid and intact. His statement only shows that he is not sincere in talking peace with us. We believed that his statement is not the position of Malaca?ang,” Kabalu added.
Ghazali Jaafar, MILF political affairs chief, said the issue should have been discussed within the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities and not with the media “because it would affect the ongoing peace talks.”
Kabalu said it was obvious that Ermita was also conditioning the minds of the people when he said the split in the MILF leaders’ position on the peace talks could lead to the collapse of the process.
He said Ermita wanted the MILF blamed if the peace talks fail.
Rebel leaders earlier accused the government of forcing them to sign a peace deal in an effort to use this in the election bid of President Gloria Arroyo in May.
A peace deal between the government and the MILF would lead to the release of millions of dollars’ worth of development aid pledged by the United States and other countries to the southern region, one of the poorest in the Philippines.
Kabalu also accused Manila of failing to abide by a cease-fire agreement, saying, troops have remained in Buliok town in Maguindanao after occupying last year an MILF enclave — despite a deal between government and rebel peace panels that the military would pull-out its forces there.
“The government failed on these two agreements and now they are accusing us of so many things,” he said. “This is a scenario by the government to jusify its failure to comply with the cease-fire agreement and delay further the resumption of the peace talks.”
He said the government has not fully complied in dropping all criminal charges against key MILF leaders.
, including Murad Ebrahim, the group’s chieftain accused of masterminding the series of bombings in the southern city of Davao that left many civilians dead and wounded early this year.
