RP Govt moves to revive peace talks with MILF

Manila --The Philippine government is determined to break a deadlock in talks with Muslim separatist rebels to prevent an outbreak of violence, an adviser to President Arroyo said Monday.

Government negotiators are “now back at the drawing board to study options,” Mrs. Arroyo’s representative to the talks, Jesus Dureza, said in a statement from Madrid, where he is attending a forum of peace advocates.

“I know the Moro Islamic Liberation Front [MILF] wants peace for the Bangsamoro people in the south,” Dureza said.

“It may not be easy. But President Arroyo and the whole nation are determined to seek the path to peace,” he said.

The MILF has warned of fresh hostilities after accusing government negotiators of lacking the “political will” to resolve the crisis, after the Malaysian-brokered talks ended in an impasse last month.

The deadlock came after the MILF demanded economic control of vast swaths of land as part of its “ancestral domain.” The government said it could not grant the demand without holding a plebiscite in the affected areas.

The government was due to have made a counteroffer by the weekend, but asked for more time to come up with a formula that would be acceptable to both parties, the MILF said.

The 12,000-strong MILF has been waging a separatist rebellion in Mindanao since 1978. More than 50,000 people are estimated to have perished in the fighting between MILF and government troops.

The group signed a truce with Manila in 2003 to pave the way for peace talks, but the ceasefire could crumble if the talks remain deadlocked, the rebels have warned.

--AFP