June 1, 2000, The Philippine Star, Misuari blocking gov't MILF talks, by John Unson and Paolo Romero,

June 1, 2000, The Philippine Star, Misuari blocking gov't MILF talks, by John Unson and Paolo Romero, with reports from Marichu Villanueva, Perseus Echeminada, AFP, Reuters 

Gov. Nur Misuari of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has been trying to block the forging of a peace agreement between the government and the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a highly placed ARMM source divulged yesterday.

This developed as the government told MILF peace negotiators in Mindanao to accept autonomy and drop their struggle for independence or face more military attacks.

But a ranking MILF leader rejected outright the government's political package, saying it was just a reiteration of a bill on ARMM expansion.

The source said Arab newspapers quoted Misuari as urging the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to prevent the Philippine government from signing a peace accord with the MILF while many provisions of a similar treaty signed in 1996 between the government and the mainstream Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) were yet to be implemented.

Misuari reportedly made the appeal in a lengthy speech during a meeting of the OIC in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia which ended on Tuesday.

In his speech, Misuari said the delay in the full implementation of the MNLF-GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) peace pact has triggered demoralization among the Muslims in Mindanao.

"These sentiments are compounding the clamor for meaningful Muslim rule and even independence by the Bangsamoro people," Misuari also said in a statement.

"To show their disgust, other revolutionary groups have taken the law into their hands just to catch international attention," Misuari said, apparently referring to the mass kidnappings staged by the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf.

A ranking MILF leader hinted that Misuari may have been jealous that what he had fought for for nearly 30 years would be achieved by the MILF, a breakaway faction of the MNLF, in just three years of negotiations.

The MNLF-GRP treaty provided for an expansion of the ARMM to cover 10 cities and 14 southern provinces, but subject to popular approval by the residents of the affected areas.

At present, the ARMM consists only of the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu, along with Marawi City.

Meanwhile, a joint communiqué issued at yesterday's adjournment of the two-day talks in Cotabato City stated that the panels will meet anew on June 28.

The technical working groups of the two panels will meet earlier on June 14 and 15 "to establish points of consensus on the clustered agenda items" and prepare a draft final proposal for submission to the panels on June 28.

Government chief negotiator retired Army Gen. Edgardo Batenga said he presented to the MILF the government's proposed political package, consisting largely of a pending congressional bill on ARMM expansion.

"The MILF will not agree to that," MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said. "This is not a joke...It cannot be done that way. They want to dictate the outcome of the negotiation. On our part, we want a negotiated solution, otherwise the problems will out again."

Kabalu also belittled the proposed political package. "After all this time, this is all they gave (us)," Kabalu rued.

But Press Undersecretary Mike Toledo sounded confident the talks will succeed, saying the MILF is ready to drop the secessionist struggle and accept a "meaningful" autonomy.

Toledo said the MILF negotiators merely asked to be given until June 30 to study the government proposal.

The government rebuffed on Wednesday the MILF's call for a ceasefire after month-long fighting in the South which left hundreds of casualties and over half a million villagers fleeing their homes to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Press Secretary Ricardo Puno said President Estrada preferred a longer and more lasting peace than a temporary ceasefire offered by the MILF.

Puno said the government intends to go back to the bargaining table on a position of strength and not worry about the MILF reclaiming its old positions and rebuilding its military forces.

MILF guerrillas were on the run after soldiers overran their second major headquarters, Camp Bushra in Butig town in Lanao del Sur.

Batenga said he told the MILF panel that he has been directed by the President to forge a peace accord by June 30.

The MILF negotiators asked for one month to study the government proposal which sources said offered expanded autonomy to include areas where the rebel group claims to exert some influence.

Puno said there is no reason for the MILF to ask for an extension on the general terms of the proposed political settlement, "especially as we are talking here about one Constitution, one government, one country."

"If they have doubts on this matter, we should address these problems early on. Otherwise, we'd only be kidding ourselves," Puno stressed.

Puno said the President has become impatient over the peace process in Mindanao, adding that he may even advance the June 30 deadline he set for the negotiations.

"The President said he may even advance that deadline. I think he would like to settle even earlier," Puno said, adding Mr. Estrada was not inclined to grant the MILF's demand for an extension of the deadline.

Puno indicated that Mr. Estrada plans to drive a hard bargain on the MILF in the light of the limited military success against the rebels.

"Upon achievements of these (military) objectives, that's the end of it. Then we can talk about the entire peace process itself," Puno said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Blas Ople and Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile supported the government's policy to conduct an all-out offensive against the MILF.

Ople said Mr. Estrada was correct in rejecting the rebels' ceasefire bid since the troops were having the upperhand in the fighting.

"It is unfair to our soldiers to deny them victories that they have already honestly earned in the battlefields," he said.

Ople said the ongoing military offensive against the rebels while conducting peace talks was an indication that Mr. Estrada is determined to negotiate from a position of strength.

Enrile also said the government made the right move in keeping the military pressure on the rebels while at the same time, opening the door for the resumption of peace talks.

Enrile cautioned the government, however, against offering autonomy to the MILF as this would complicate the situation in Mindanao.

He pointed out that the proposed autonomous region for the MILF which would include portions of Sultan Kudarat, Lanao and Cotabato has already been covered by the Jakarta accord, and subject of a bill on the expanded Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Enrile warned that the government would face a four-cornered problem on the issue with the Christians, the MNLF, the MILF and the constitutional mandate if it insisted on offering a separate autonomy to the MILF.

Troops press attack as peace panels talk

As the government and MILF peace panels were meeting in Cotabato, soldiers trained their guns on Camp Sarmiento, the main outer perimeter defense of the MILF's main Camp Abubakar in Maguindanao.

Armed Forces spokesman Col. Rafael Romero said the latest offensive came as the rebels continued bombarding the Marines' position in Langkong Crossing in Maguindanao with mortar shells.

"Our troops there are being subjected to mortar fires, that's why we have to respond and move in," Romero said after having a long distance conversation with Maj. Gen. Gregorio Camiling, commander of the Army's 6th Infantry Division based in Awang, Maguindanao.

"We are encountering stiff resistance," Romero said.

He said at least 1,500 soldiers will be used in the Sarmiento campaign.

Camp Sarmiento is located about five kilometers southwest of Camp Abubakar and about 10 kilometers east of the Narciso Ramos Highway which government forces cleared of rebels after weeks of heavy fighting.

The assault on Camp Sarmiento came three days after the troops overran Camp Bushra, the MILF's second biggest enclave in Mindanao.

"There is a great possibility of an MILF counter-attack in Lanao del Sur, that's why our forces have been placed on alert," Romero said.

Puno revealed that Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado and Armed Forces chief Gen. Angelo Reyes have informed the President that the troops were about to accomplish their mission of dismantling all MILF satellite camps.

Puno also said the Estrada administration "would not allow the mistakes of past governments to allow the Muslim rebels to take advantage of the ceasefire to beef up its armed force. -