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Southeast Asia
Philippines: Peace pact with Muslims likely in 6 months
2005-02-03
My head: A luxuriant growth of blond hair likely in 6 months...
THE PHILIPPINES will likely seal a peace pact with Muslim separatists in six months provided both sides cooperate the MILF rearming goes as planned and strictly stick to a ceasefire, President Gloria Arroyo's chief aide said Thursday.
I'm sure the Easter Bunny will deliver it to.... only to be blown up by the Islamics for being christian.
A draft document that would serve as "reference material" for government negotiators and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leaders was being worked out to kickstart the next round of talks, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters. Ermita said lead government negotiator Silvestre Afable had expressed confidence a peace pact would be signed within six months.Of course the MILF is incapable of enforcing it on its 'members' but I'm being paid to get any deal, any deal at all, signed.

"He is confident that an agreement would be signed provided that there will be cooperation on both sides, and the arms shipments to the MILF occur on schedule especially with the help of the Malaysian government and the IMT (International Monitoring Team)," Ermita said.

The Malysian-led IMT has been on the ground in the southern island of Mindanao since late November to check on violations of a ceasefire.

The team last month unsuccessfully prevented any further hostilities when a renegade MILF unit attacked an army outpost that left 23 dead in Mindanao, 17 of them rebels.
23 dead is a sign of *success*?
A military air strike on the same group Which the MILF protected last week reportedly left as many as 40 dead, but this has yet to be independently confirmed.

Despite the attacks, Afable has said talks would resume at a date still to be specified by Malaysia, which has been brokering the talks.

In the southern city of Marawi, meanwhile, Malaysian peace monitor head Major General Zulkefli bin Mohammad Zin said the ceasefire was being maintained by both sides and that "the peace process is very much on track."

"We, members of the IMT, can feel the pulse of transparency
We *feel* your pain!
getting to be stronger.
Commitments and cooperation shown by all parties concerned are commendable," Mohammad told a gathering of peace advocates.

"We could also see that restraints are being exercised. The peace momentum is now getting to be much stronger," he said.

"If the current trend prevails the people of the Philippines and those living in the region should be able to see a bright light at the end of the tunnel soon," he said.
Er.... bright lights at the end of tunnels usually mean an oncoming train.
The MILF has been waging a separatist rebellion in Mindanao since 1978. It is pushing to create an independent Islamic state in the region, but has struggled to appear to distance itself from terrorist groups in the region linked to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.

Authorities say that the MILF, despite its repeated denials, are harboring or training members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the al-Qaeda's Southeast Asian arm.

Did anybody else notice that there are no 'hopeful' quotes from anyone associated with the MILF?
Posted by:CrazyFool

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