British official urges RP gov't, MILF to revive peace talks

MANILA, Philippines – A top British security official yesterday urged the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to revive the peace talks and continue negotiations for a final peace agreement to end the conflict in Mindanao.

Robert Hannigan, security adviser to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and head of the United Kingdom Security, Intelligence and Resilience, met with MILF leaders last night and shared the lessons learned by the British government in the Northern Ireland peace process.

He emphasized the difficulties in finding a solution for peace but called on the government and the MILF to achieve “the prize at the end of this which is a peaceful, prosperous life for ordinary people and their families.”

“I think the greatest message that we can give is that there can be a solution. It’s difficult, it takes time and there are great disappointments along the way but the prize is worth going for,” Hannigan said.

Hannigan arrived in Manila last Monday for a two-day visit to meet with the Security Cluster of the Philippine Cabinet and leaders of the MILF to share the British experience in the Northern Ireland peace process.

“I’ve come to share some of the experiences of the Northern Ireland peace process which concluded in the last couple of years and went on for some 30, 40 years,” Hannigan said.

“I don’t come with solutions or come here to negotiate but hope to share some of the lessons we’ve learned, and I had a very useful meeting with the members of the (Philippine) government,” he said.

British Ambassador Peter Beckingham said Hannigan has extensive experience of negotiating peace in Northern Ireland.

“Of course there are many differences between the peace discussions in Northern Ireland and Mindanao, but if the parties in Mindanao can gain insight from Robert Hannigan’s work, then his visit will be valuable,” Beckingham said.

Hannigan is advising the British Prime Minister on security policy, intelligence matters, crisis coordination and civil contingency planning. He is also responsible for the coordination and funding of the UK intelligence agencies and the UK National Security Strategy.

Until 2007, Hannigan was the principal adviser to then British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the peace process, including negotiations with the political parties and liaison with the Irish government.

According to Beckingham, the idea of a sharing of experiences was initially brought up when President Arroyo met with Blair in December 2007.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr. welcomed Hannigan.

“Dr. Hannigan’s visit is very timely as the Philippine government is shifting to a new paradigm in engaging various armed groups,” Esperon said.

President Arroyo suspended the peace talks with the MILF after Abdurahman Macapaar and Ameril Umbra Kato launched deadly attacks in Central Mindanao, leaving scores of civilians dead and burning down schools and homes last July.

More than 670,000 civilians have been affected, many of them still camped out in evacuation centers where sanitation and food remain perennial problems.

The two rebel commanders launched the attacks after the Supreme Court issued an injunction against a land deal that would have given the MILF control over a Muslim autonomous region.

The SC later declared the agreement unconstitutional.

The SC ruling also caused an impasse in the peace talks, with both sides unwilling to budge due to the ongoing military offensive against the MILF commanders.

Even as the military has intensified its manhunt for recalcitrant guerrillas, the ceasefire agreement with the MILF still holds in most parts of Mindanao.

MILF vice chairman Ghadzali Jaafar said the skirmishes between troops and MILF rebels occur only in Maguindanao, indicating that the rebel group still adheres to the five-year ceasefire agreement with the government.

As this developed, 12 MILF rebels were killed in renewed clashes with government troops in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao. – With John Unson, Edith Regalado, James Mananghaya, Roel Pareño, Evelyn Macairan