Moro rebels will not return to the negotiating table without an international guarantor, as they called on the United Nations to set up an observer post in Central Mindanao to prevent an escalation of hostilities. Ghazali Jaafar, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vice-chairman for political affairs, also broached a possible European Union involvement in future talks. In a meeting with reporters last week, Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief peace negotiator, said any resumption of the peace process will only be made in the presence of an international guarantor to ensure that all agreements will be implemented. "We donÂ’t trust anymore this [Arroyo] government. We want an international guarantee which will make the government adhere to agreed points," said Mr. Iqbal, citing the botched signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD).
In late July, the MoA-AD was initialed by Mr. Iqbal and retired general Rodolfo C. Garcia, government chief peace negotiator, and witnessed by the Malaysian facilitator. It was supposed to be signed formally in the first week of August in Malaysia but the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order that prevented the government panel from formally signing the deal. Last month, the high court ruled that the pact was unconstitutional. Insofar as the MILF is concerned, however, the agreement was a done deal. "This government cannot offer domestic relief to the Mindanao problem," Mr. Iqbal said.
Mr. Jaafar said Moro rebels wanted the UN to set up observer posts in Central Mindanao, with a main office in Cotabato City, to prevent the situation from developing into an international humanitarian crisis. "This UN-funded, UN-managed observer office can help resolve the Mindanao problem by getting first-hand knowledge of whatÂ’s really happening on the ground," he added.
Mr. Jaafar lamented the suffering of the half-a-million residents in squalid evacuation camps in Central and Northern Mindanao displaced by the war that erupted in August. He said continued military offensive against MILF elements headed by Ameril Umbra Kato and Abdulrahman Macapaar alias Bravo will result in a humanitarian crisis blown out of proportion.
Despite the military offensive, Mr. Jaafar said the MILF still respects the peace process with its peace panel still intact, in contrast to the government that has abolished its group pursuant to a new tack — disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation.