MILF told: Explain C4 explosives

By Karl B. Kaufman, Reporter

THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) must come clean and disclose everything about the hoard of explosives found by the military in its base in Maguindanao early this week, President Arroyo said on Thursday.

The President made the call to the MILF leaders after viewing the seized explosives, which were brought to Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Close to 450 kilos of C4 (Composition Four) plastic explosives, gunpowder and parts for making rocket-propelled grenades were recovered Tuesday by government troops from an MILF base in Payan, Kabuntalan.

“I am urging [the MILF leadership] to make a complete disclosure of this cache of explosives, especially its sources, the identity of its owners, the intended targets and the involvement of any transnational terrorists,” she said.

“The response of the MILF in ferreting out the truth will largely determine our reciprocal attitude and actions.”

The government is trying to revive peace negotiations with the MILF, but the President has said the group must first show sincerity in bringing peace to Mindanao.

C4, used mainly for underwater demolition before it was banned by the United Nations, is considered one of the most dangerous explosives. The military considers it “a favored terrorist weapon” because it is safe to handle and hide.

The Armed Forces chief of staff, Gen. Narciso Abaya, said the quantity of C4 recovered from Payan was bigger than the military’s stock. He also said that because of an agreement with the UN, the military has stopped using C4 in its operations.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu denied that the C4 and other weapons found in Payan belonged to the group. He accused the military of planting evidence to sabotage the peace talks and justify an offensive against the MILF.

Mrs. Arroyo called Kabalu’s claim “absurd.”

“Denials of knowledge or the absurd claim that these were planted by our troops is not acceptable,” Mrs. Arroyo said. “Somebody is responsible for procuring and hoarding this destructive materiel.”

The MILF has been blamed for bombing an airport and a seaport in Davao City and a public market in Koronadal City, South Cotabato. The government links it to the international terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah.

The President said the discovery of the explosives does not stop the government from trying to resume negotiations with the MILF. She said the Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security (COCIS) was already moving to make the atmosphere in Mindanao more conducive to reviving the talks.

Despite the discovery of the explosives, Renato de Villa, presidential adviser on strategic concerns, is confident a peace agreement could be signed within three months.

“If both sides worked very hard on this, we should be arriving at a conclusion within 90 days. I really think this is realizable,” he said.

Kabalu had claimed that the government and the MILF had signed an agreement to restart exploratory talks, a claim top government officials have denied.

“All statements from the MILF that an agreement has been reached are not true,” Defense Secretary Angelo T. Reyes said.

General Abaya also belied Kabalu’s claim that the government has agreed to pull its troops out of former MILF camps, particularly in Buliok Complex in Pikit, North Cotabato.

Kabalu said the agreement also included a government commitment to revoke the arrest warrants for top MILF leaders, the entry of an international team to monitor a cease-fire, and a pledge by Manila to channel money to MILF agencies to fund development programs in Mindanao.

“Those may not be the official demands of the MILF, because they come from Eid Kabalu, the spokesman. He is not the authorized negotiator of the MILF,” Abaya said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople said on Thursday that the government hopes to resume negotiations with the MILF by July 1. Ople said the decision to fix a date was reached on Thursday during the COCIS of the meeting.

He did not say if the lifting of arrest warrants against the MILF leaders and the return of Buliok camp are part of the MILF’s conditions. “Only the courts have the power to lift the warrants.”

Ople said the President gave Washington the go-ahead to participate in the peace process with the MILF.

Malacañang gave its blessing to the US at a meeting Wednesday night with US Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Daley, who was accompanied by US Ambassador to the Philippines Francis Ricciardone.

Ople made it clear that “the central role for facilitating the peace process still belongs to Malaysia, but the US offered a consultative role for peace and development in Mindanao, and I understand that Kuala Lumpur has welcomed the US initiative.”

The Washington-based Institute for Peace, a nongovernment organization, will lead the US participation by providing “financial and diplomatic support” to the talks.
With Ma. Theresa Torres and Jowie F. Corpuz