The courageous stand taken by Teresita Deles, peace adviser to the Philippine president, with regard to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is really commendable. She has ignored US pressure to stop peace negotiations with the organization.
This judicious stand will benefit the Philippines in terms of bolstering its security and boosting its economic development. The sponsor of the current peace talks, Malaysia, enjoys considerable influence in Asia as well as in Arab and Islamic countries.
MILF has distanced itself from terrorism by denouncing all forms of terrorist actions. It has also supported the government in its efforts to track down terrorists and find out terrorist hideouts. All these efforts have proved the organization’s good intentions.
Last week US Pacific Command Chief Adm. William Fallon and US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill asked the Philippine government to end its peace negotiations with MILF alleging that the organization had links with Jemaah Islamiyah of Indonesia and Abu Sayyaf Group of the Philippines. Hill said the US government was planning to include MILF in the list of terror groups.
Commenting on the report, Deles said she had not received any official communication from the US government regarding the warning. “Even if such a communication is received it will be of no use,” Deles said adding that MILF was seriously working with the government in building the blocks of peace and reach a final settlement. “We have no reason not to push through,” she said.
She said that the government and MILF peace panels had put up enough mechanisms to maintain temporary peace prior to signing a final peace pact. “On Saturday (April 16), both panels will hold technical meetings again to discuss the core of the talks — the issue of ancestral domain,” she said referring to the territories that belonged to Muslims from time immemorial.
There is no good reason for the Philippine government to withdraw from peace talks with MILF just because of an unofficial US warning. Sulu Representative Gerry Salapuddin, the House deputy speaker for Mindanao, said that the warning was ill timed as it came when peace talks were about to resume. Cebu City Representative Antonio Cuenco, chair of the House committee on foreign affairs, said the talks were of greater importance than what the US thinks about the MILF. “We are careful not to burn bridges with the MILF...We have worked hard to keep the peace process moving despite the clashes in Mindanao,” he said.
The US pressure reflects Washington’s double standard. We have seen the US supporting the people of East Timor as it pushed the United Nations to take immediate steps and the people in East Timor won their independence from Indonesia.
Washington also played a pioneering role, with the blessing of the United Nations, in reaching a peace agreement between the Sudanese government and Sudan People’s Liberation Army led by John Garang. We don’t see any difference between the separatist movements in the Philippines, Sudan and Indonesia except in terms of ideology.
The Philippine government has realized that a peaceful settlement with Muslims in the south is better to protect its interests. Manila had fought Muslims using its full force for more than five decades but it has only worsened the economic conditions in the Philippines. On the other hand, Muslims, whose number has been growing rapidly, stand firm for their legitimate rights.
What prompted the US to pressure Manila to freeze its peace talks with MILF? We can see three main reasons. First, the talks are sponsored by a Muslim country with the support of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and Washington fears that the success of the talks would eventually lead to an increase in the Islamic influence in the region.
Second, MILF has rejected US participation in the peace process, and this has angered the world’s only superpower. Third, the US move to include all Islamic movements in the Philippines among terrorist groups will pave the way for the return of US forces to the country under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
The US pressure comes at a time when the Philippine government is trying to improve its image in the Arab and Islamic countries. At present, Manila greatly depends on Saudi Arabia for its oil supplies and Saudi Aramco holds 40 percent of the country’s oil giant Petron. Saudi Arabia is the only country that can help the Philippines in times of crisis caused by oil price hike. During his recent visit to Manila, Saudi Petroleum and Minerals Minister Ali Al-Naimi made this clear and tried to allay Manila’s fears on skyrocketing oil prices.
The visits of high-level Saudi business and Shoura Council delegations to Manila during the last two months will strengthen economic and political relations between the two countries. This is in addition to the millions of dollars being sent by Filipino workers in the Kingdom to their homeland every year.
