No reason for MILF peace talks to fail, says IMT head

Marawi City — There is no reason for the ongoing peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to fail, the Malaysian head of the international monitoring team (IMT) said.

"The peace process has no reason to fail unless the people of the Philippines do not want peace," Malaysian Maj. Gen. Mohammad Zulkifeli bin Mohd Zin, head of the IMT overseeing the government-MILF ceasefire, told thousands of Maranaos during a peace rally at Plaza Cabili here last Thursday.

"It has been done, it can be done," he said.

Despite the recent military operations against suspected terrorists in Maguindanao, Zulkifeli said the IMT will remain neutral and will extend assistance and support to the ongoing peace process.

"The IMT hopes to play a valuable role in supporting the peace process to bring normalcy to Mindanao," he said.

Zulkifeli, however, warned that there are individuals or groups out to derail or sabotage the peace process.

"The determination of these people will get strong and unrelenting in their efforts to sabotage or derail the peace process," he said.

Lanao del Sur Gov. Aleem Bashier Manalao, for his part, called on the people to support the peace process.

Col. Armando Melo, commander of the 1st Marine Brigade here, said the government troopers here and elsewhere in Lanao del Sur support the peace process.

"We are not here as oppressors," he said.

Present during the peace rally were Brig. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, 2nd Marine Brigade commander; and Datu Von Al Haq, chairman of the MILF ceasefire panel.