MANILA - A war of words between the Philippine government and a separatist
Muslim rebel group over the kidnapping of an Irish missionary threatens to
derail the lobbying efforts of the United States to bring the two sides back to
peace negotiations.
The renewed animosity has flared up ahead of US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton's scheduled arrival in Manila on Thursday for a two-day visit to press
Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to resume their stalled
peace talks. Clinton, who will later proceed to Singapore for an Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, is expected to reiterate Washington's
long-standing offer to help push the talks to restore peace and normalcy in the
southern Philippine island of Mindanao.
Malaysia had previously brokered the talks, but it seems no
longer keen to host further meetings after it last year pulled out its
contingent of "peace monitors" from Mindanao. Backed by the Organization of
Islamic Conference, Malaysia expressed frustration over the continued
hostilities between security forces and the MILF which led to the collapse of
the ceasefire agreement.
The possibility of resuming negotiations also appears dim after Manila accused
the MILF of involvement in the October 11 abduction of an Irish priest, Michael
Sinnot. The 79-year-old Sinnot was seized by armed men in Pagadian city, 1,000
kilometers south of Manila, and reportedly brought to MILF-controlled areas in
the predominantly Muslim province of Lanao del Sur.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said the MILF was
responsible for the Catholic priest's abduction and that the government would
not entertain the kidnappers' demand for a US$12 million ransom in exchange for
the prelate's freedom.
But the MILF, which boasts 12,000 fighters, strongly denied the government's
charge, branding it as "cheap propaganda" and "an affront to the peace
process".
"We are asking the government to stop this accusation," MILF peace negotiator
Mohagher Iqbal said, adding they were even exerting efforts to rescue Sinnot
from his captors "for the sake of justice, humanity, goodwill and friendship".
As tensions mounted anew in Mindanao, hundreds of residents in some Maguindanao
towns reportedly fled after the MILF began massing its heavily armed forces
following rumors that the military was poised to launch rescue operations.
Despite the row over Sinnot's kidnapping, senior US Embassy officials in Manila
have held clandestine meetings with MILF leaders in their Maguindanao camp. The
US Embassy has kept mum on the meetings, but on its website, the MILF confirmed
in a statement that it had held talks with a visiting group of American
diplomats led by the US Embassy charge d'affaires, Leslie Basset, on October
16.
Lasting for two hours, the meeting "was warm and forthright", the MILF said and
quoted Basset as saying that the US was willing to play a role in the peace
talks. "Helping attain and sustain peace, security and development in Mindanao
is a priority concern of our government," the MILF quoted Bassett as saying.
The US is a major aid donor, including for various development projects, making
it a key stakeholder in Mindanao's peace process. It has provided funds and
built roads, bridges, school buildings and other infrastructure projects,
particularly in impoverished Muslim-populated areas in Mindanao.
"Peace-making and peace-building must go hand-in-hand in resolving the
Bangsamoro problem and the conflict in Mindanao," the MILF said.
As part of the Visiting Forces Agreement, the US has also extended training and
intelligence support to Filipino troops in their counter-terrorism operations.
MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar told the visiting US diplomats that the MILF
welcomed Washington's offer to push the peace process.
"The US government knows very well the background of the conflict, both
historically and legally, and we believe that US can greatly help toward the
peaceful resolution of the conflict," he said. However, it was not clear
whether the MILF or Manila wanted the US to replace Malaysia as the broker of
the peace talks.
On President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's request, Malaysia has been facilitating
the talks since 2001 to help put an end to the Muslim insurgency in Mindanao
that has claimed 120,000 lives and displaced more than two million people. The
current US ambassador, Kristie Kenney, who also previously visited MILF leaders
in their camp for talks, said the US was leaving it to Manila and the MILF to
decide what role the US would play in the talks.
"We intend to be supportive in whatever way both parties think we could be
useful," she told reporters. Kenney, who attended last year's negotiations
between Manila and the MILF in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, said the US
had no specific roadmap regarding the talks. "We are waiting to see where the
discussions will go and how we can help," she added.
MILF chairman Ebrahim Murad also asked Bassett to convey their "utmost
gratitude" to US President Barack Obama for his "unfaltering commitment" to
support the peace process. Obama is scheduled to meet Arroyo during the APEC
summit in Singapore.
Murad used to be one of the leaders of the mainstream Moro National Liberation
Front (MNLF) chaired by Nur Misuari. However, he and other Maguindanao-based
rebels broke away from the MNLF after it opted for autonomy instead of
secession in its negotiations with the government in 1976. Thus, the MILF was
founded, chaired by Hashim Salamat, who died in 2003.
Political analysts have blasted Bassett's "secret visit" to the MILF's camp in
Mindanao. Jonathan de la Cruz, an independent political analyst and regular
columnist at the People's Journal, said the US diplomats' visit was "sly",
"brazen" and "downright offensive" to "our integrity and independence as a
sovereign country".
"We cannot afford to have all kinds of peace workers roam the land, talk to
rebel groups and insist that they are promoting peace and prosperity in the
land," he said. The diplomats should have been declared persona non grata and
expelled by Manila, he asserted.
De la Cruz blamed the MILF for atrocities in Mindanao and recalled that the
rebel group unleashed a killing spree last year after the Supreme Court ruled
as unconstitutional its proposal to establish a "juridical state" in Mindanao.
The high court's ruling aborted the signing of a memorandum of agreement
between Manila and the MILF in Kuala Lumpur.
Despite the MILF's well-documented acts of terrorism violence, the US has
surprisingly excluded the secessionist group from its global list of terrorist
organizations. The Islamic extremists Abu Sayyaf and communist-led New People's
Army are currently the only Philippine groups on Washington's list.
Al Labita has worked as a journalist for over 30 years, including as a
regional bureau chief and foreign editor for the Philippine News Agency. He has
worked as a Manila correspondent for several major local publications and wire
agencies in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
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