R.P. asks OIC: stop MILF ‘terrorism’

By ROMER S. SARMIENTO
TODAY Correspondent

KORONADAL CITY - Norberto Gonzales, presidential adviser on special concerns, left Thursday for Malaysia in a bid to convince the Organization of Islamic Conference to restrain the Moro Islamic Liberation Front from its “terroristic attacks.”

He will ask the OIC to investigate the “recent atrocities perpetrated by the MILF” on Maigo, Lanao del Norte, and Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.

“Government hopes the OIC will positively respond to our complaints against the MILF and will come up with concrete actions,” said Gonzales, also the government backchannel negotiator with the MILF.

He will also officially inform Kuala Lumpur of President Arroyo’s decision to withdraw from the second round of exploratory talks with the MILF slated to start May 9.

Gonzales will also detail to Malaysian authorities the attacks on Maigo and Siocon, both civilian targets, and the war footing being observed by Moro rebels.

As broker of the peace initiatives with the MILF, Gonzales said Malaysian authorities should admonish the secessionist group that its action does not augur well for the peace process.

He added that government is “in no mood at this point” to talk with the rebels unless they cease attacking civilian communities.

Ghazali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs, as if in reply, said the front is still committed to the peaceful political settlement of the conflict in Mindanao. “Up to this point, the MILF has not abandon its policy. . .we are still open to peace negotiations.”

Jaafar added that while the MILF is on war footing, the civilians are not their targets.

Rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu described the civilians killed in the crossfire as mere “collateral damage of war” that cannot be avoided since the soldiers are embedded in civilian communities.

Accusing the government of insincerity, Jaafar noted that even if government had withdrawn from the scheduled meeting and would eventually decide to backtrack from the peace process, the MILF will “not abandon its commitment to the peace process.”

Gonzales’s trip was in line with the President’s 3-pronged attack on the Mindanao problem -- Manila will present its case against the MILF to the Muslim world, fight the rebels with a combination of military, legal, and diplomatic pressure, and try to restart peace talks.

Member-countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Committee of the 8 will have a ministerial conference in Iran this month to decide on the Philippines’ request for an observer status in the OIC.

Yudhistiranto Sungadi, Indonesian political counselor for the Philippines, said Thursday the matter will be discussed in the ministerial meeting that will be at the sidelines of the annual Conference of Foreign Ministers in Tehran.

“The main agenda is to assess the implementation of the 1996 peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) but we will also look into the granting of an observer status to the Philippine government.”

The OIC Committee of the 8 is currently headed by Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda. It was set up in the 70’s to attend to the issue of Muslims in the Southern Philippines. With E. Torres