ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) urged the government to abandon its “3-in-1” peace proposal to break the impasse in the southern peace negotiations as the two parties prepare for the next round of talks next week.
The 3-in-1 formula that the government presented during the 22 exploratory talks in August last year involves three components: massive economic development, a peace accord and cultural-historical acknowledgment.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the MILF said the government should also upgrade its proposal beyond an integration framework.
“If the government wants the peace negotiation to proceed or succeed, it must upgrade its offer to the MILF. Any run-around approach will not work.
“It must totally abandon the 3-in-1 proposal and agree to meet the MILF on what is above the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) now and below independence. This indeed is a fair deal,” the Front said.
The MILF statement on Monday came after it claimed being pressured to accept the government’s proposal.
The government’s offer would counterweigh the MILF’s proposal for the creation of a substate in Mindanao that would give the Moros political power to govern their own territory with marginal intervention from the central government -- dropping an earlier demand for independence.
The MILF peace panel, however, said the offer does not address the Moro Question and the armed conflict but instead it would further prolong the problem.
Both parties tried to renegotiate their respective proposals in the succeeding talks, and eventually settled on 11 key issues that were supposed to be signed in last month’s meeting, but the MILF objected after the government allegedly changed parts on at least four issues, hence, the impasse.
Sought for comment, government chief negotiator Mario Victor F. Leonen told BusinessWorld that the government panel hopes for flexibility in the negotiation. “We should assume that negotiations require that both parties are flexible with their initial positions as they explain their basis to each other. I think this is what is meant as openness and good faith negotiations,” he said.
Despite the impasse, both parties have expressed commitment to stay on course noting they could still reach an agreement within the term of the Aquino administration.
The southern peace talks have been going on since 1997 but these have been punctuated by disagreements and armed conflicts.
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