ZAMBOANGA, 4 December 2005 — The road to peace is wrought with danger but negotiators seeking to forge a lasting political settlement to the long-running separatist problem in the southern Philippines have good reason not to back down.
Officials of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday said the unwavering support of Christian and Muslim spiritual leaders in the region have given them a strong resolve not to give up despite the obstacles.
“We are glad that a lot of confidence and trust has been built and promoted by both parties and we urge and pray that they will reach a negotiated peace agreement as soon as possible,” the MILF said in a press statement.
The Bishops-Ulama Conference (BUC), which has always acted as a moderating force in troubled Mindanao, had earlier reiterated its unqualified support for the ongoing peace talks between government and MILF negotiators.
“We hope and pray that the genuine Islamic and Christian values, which we share in common, will inspire every provision of the peace pact and that we beg God/Allah to bless all the members of the two panels as well as the sponsoring governments of Malaysia, Libya and other Muslim States,” said the BUC in a statement released through he Philippine Information Agency yesterday.
The BUC statement was signed by Catholic Archbishop Fernando Capalla, Ulama League of the Philippines (ULP) President Mahid Mutilan, and the Bishop Emeritus of the Protestant National Churches of Christ in the Philippines, Hilario Gomez.
Peace advocates has said the BUC’s continued support for the peace process is much needed great especially because certain groups from both sides apparently want the peace talks to fail.
“The MILF welcomes the support of the Bishops-Ulama Conference, and all the many groups and other nations that continue to support the peace process, “ a spokesman for the MILF, Ed Kabalu, told Arab News.
Jesus Dureza, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s aide and chairman of the Mindanao Economic Development Council, said the peace talks has reached its highest level since it opened in 2001.
“We are very optimistic that the negotiations between the government and the MILF rebels will eventually bring permanent and lasting peace in Mindanao, so we can all work together for the development of the region,” Dureza said.
Peace talks are expected to resume this month or early next year in Malaysia, which is brokering the political settlement of one of the world’s longest-running Muslim insurgency problem.
In September, peace negotiators signed several agreements centered on the ancestral domain — its concept, territories and resources, and how the MILF shall govern these places.
Ancestral domain refers to the MILF’s demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland. For the rebel group it is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before it can reach a political settlement.
Both sides have agreed on several crucial issues, including the coverage of a proposed ancestral domain in the five Muslim autonomous provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao.
And other areas in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces, which have large Muslim communities and indigenous tribes.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said President Arroyo’s drive for reconciliation and unity extends to all ideological and partisan groups. “President Arroyo has wielded a comprehensive political, economic, diplomatic and security approach to win the peace, isolate terrorists and prepare the ground for shared prosperity among Mindanao’s poor.”
“The indisputable collaboration of the government and the MILF in the Mindanao peace process serves as an emblem of hope for the Filipino people,” Bunye said.
The MILF is fighting the past three decades for the establishment of a separate Muslim homeland in the troubled region.
Many Arab countries, including the influential Organization of Islamic Conference and Libya, Saudi Arabia and the United States strongly support the peace talks.
President George W. Bush offered as much as $30 million in financial assistance to help develop Mindanao should the MILF seal a peace agreement with Manila.
The money would be used to help the rebels get back to the mainstream of society.
Arroyo previously said that 80 percent of the peace talks have been completed and that peace in Mindanao is within reach. MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim has said that his group is sincere in the talks and is willing to end the war in Mindanao.
