MILF, MNLF, ARMM agree to forge ‘common blueprint’ for lasting peace

COTABATO CITY – The rival Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), along with officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), have agreed to formulate a “common blue print” for lasting peace in the troubled South.

The agreement was made before Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, who presided over a “unification dialogue” with leaders of both fronts and the ARMM Thursday night in Makati City.

The younger Gaddafi urged the feuding rebel factions to set aside their parochial interests and work together cohesively for the attainment of lasting peace in Muslim communities in Mindanao.

An engineer by profession, Saif al-Islam is president of the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charitable Associations (GIFCA), which has socio-economic projects complementing President Arroyo’s peace overture with Mindanao’s Moro sectors.

Libya is a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), a pan-Islamic block of more than 50 Muslim-states, including oil-rich nations in the Middle East.

Gaddafi, whose country has been mediating the conflict in the south, told Muslim representatives that Arab and Libyan investors were ready to support a future Muslim homeland in the Philippines.

MNLF secretary-general Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema said leaders of the two fronts and representatives of ARMM have also set a timeline to formulate a roadmap for the resolution of the Bangsamoro uprising.

“In principle, we have reached a consensus to have a common peace blueprint before September 2008,” Sema said.

Sema said the roadmap will be established under Gaddafi’s supervision and with the support of other Muslim countries.

The government has said a peace agreement with the MILF could be signed next year, after both sides broke an impasse over the boundaries of a proposed Muslim territory.

However, the MILF is not the only group claiming to represent Muslims in Mindanao.

Its predecessor, the MNLF, already signed a 1996 peace deal with the government that created the ARMM.

The MILF have demanded self-rule, and the MNLF itself has split into several factions over its dealings with the government.

Its founder, Nur Misuari, has been jailed since 2001 over a botched uprising.

“When the two groups become one, I think the Philippine government will find it easy to discuss with them,” said Libyan diplomat Salem Adam, who attended the meeting Thursday.

ARMM regional assembly Speaker Paisalin Tago said the meeting presided over by Gaddafi was very cordial.

“Apparently, Libya wants all Bangsamoro leaders to unite and adopt only one solid peace formula for Mindanao. It does not want any fragmentation of the Bangsamoro people as a possible negative result of separate, different peace agreements with different fronts,” Tago said, adding that it is understandable why the parties that attended the meeting want a tangible, common Mindanao peace roadmap out before September 2008.     

The ARMM is to hold its sixth regional elections in August next year and elected officials cannot be removed from office during a mandatory three-year tenure.

Both the MNLF and the MILF do not recognize the ARMM as the solution to what is for both fronts the “quest” of the Moro people for self-rule.

The MILF also refused to recognize the peace agreement between the MNLF and the GRP signed in 1996 which paved the way for the integration of some 8,000 Muslim guerrillas into the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The 11-year-old truce is now the subject of an extensive tripartite review by the MNLF, the OIC and Malacañang due to perceived weaknesses of some of its provisions.

The three parties involved in the initiative will hold their second tripartite meeting on Jan. 14 to discuss the efforts of the MNLF and the government in assessing five key issues – education, Sharia, political representation, regional security force, and natural resources – set as parameters for the enhancement of the peace pact.

The MILF has been negotiating peace with the government since Jan. 7, 1997, assisted by Malaysia as third party mediator. 

“As far as the leaders of the ARMM are concerned, we have no opposition to the idea of one peace formula for Mindanao. We will support that all the way,” Tago said.

The representatives of the MILF, the MNLF and ARMM government to the “unification dialogue” signed a joint communiqué underscoring each other’s willingness to pursue the peace process in the south.

Peace efforts

This developed as the MILF and the GRP formally resumed peace talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the effort to resolve the remaining issues on ancestral domain, which encompasses the MILF’s proposed area for the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE).

The talks are expected to conclude with both sides, as a matter of tradition, coming out with a joint communiqué on what had been accomplished in the two-day negotiations.

As envisioned by the MILF, the BJE will replace the ARMM, which the group does not recognize as the solution to the Mindanao Moro uprising.

The ancestral domain topic of the GRP-MILF talks covers four concerns – concept, territory, resources and governance.

Peace talks between the government and the MILF started Jan. 7, 1997, but gained headway only in 2003 with the help of Malaysia as mediator.

The Philippines, meanwhile, hosted another event aimed to “systematically engage and educate the world to the true tenets of the Islamic faith.”

Muslim leaders from Southeast Asian countries comprising 44 delegations from different think tanks, universities, religious groups and civil society groups, came to attend the first of its kind forum on Islam and democracy.

Former senator Santanina Rasul, one of the co-organizers of the event, said the forum aims to develop a mechanism to educate the world on the true tenets of the Islamic faith.

“Islam is often associated today with terrorism or violence. This is not a true reflection of Islamic values. Muslims, particularly Muslims in Southeast Asia, firmly believe in human rights, tolerance, and equality, as do the majority of Muslims in the world,” Rasul said.

Rasul noted Islamic extremists have taken the spotlight in the media.

Rasul said among the issues affecting Muslims discussed in the forum were conflicts, discrimination and free and fair elections.

Former President Fidel Ramos in his opening remarks said the Southeast Asian region “is not a hotbed of terrorism nor is it the region teetering on the brink of anarchy and sectarian violence as is sometimes suggested.”

Ramos said the regional forum was a vital step towards addressing concerns on issues like security, human rights and democracy in Southeast Asia.

Dr. Syafi’i Anwar from the Jakarta-based International Center for Islam and Pluralism said there is a strong commitment of Southeast Asian Muslims to enhance democracy, pluralism, human rights and justice.

Dr. Abdul Rahman Bin Awang of the International Islamic University of Malaysia also said the forum is “an excellent platform for the Muslims in the region to exchange views and share experiences on Islam and democracy.”

Dr. Sukree Langputeh of the Thailand Center for Muslim and Democratic Development, for his part, said the exchange of experiences and success stories is an important part of spurring the democratization process in each country in Southeast Asia.

The forum was organized by the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy with the support from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Australian Embassy, The Asian Foundation and the Magbassa Kita Foundation.    – With Reinir Padua, AP