MILF insists on Malaysia as facilitator in peace talks

COTABATO CITY, Philippines  – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday said it has repeatedly declined requests by the government for initial negotiations supposedly not involving Malaysia as “third-party facilitator.”

Muhammad Ameen, secretariat chief of the MILF central committee, said they can only agree to a meeting of their peace panel with its government counterpart as long as it will involve Malaysia as facilitator, based on a long-time procedure that both sides have agreed upon.

Ameen said the government’s chief negotiator, Marvic Leonen, has repeatedly invited the MILF peace panel for a meeting here and abroad, but they politely declined all his invitations.

Ameen said the MILF central committee is apprehensive that a direct engagement between its peace panel and Leonen can unduly “domesticate the peace process” and as a consequence “even possibly sow intrigues” among the negotiating parties and the facilitating country. He did not elaborate.

Ameen said the MILF is against any plan by Malacañang to replace Datuk Othman bin Abd’ Razak, the Malaysian facilitator in the peace negotiations.

“Of course, the government can raise concerns on the issue of facilitation,” he said.

Leonen earlier said, “Any good facilitator knows that if one side has lack of confidence in him, he should immediately resign for the sake of the negotiations.”

Ameen said both sides though can discuss the issue discreetly and not through statements and remarks aired through the media.

Malacañang is reportedly keen on tapping Indonesia instead or another member-state of the Organization of Islamic Conference as third-party facilitator in the talks.

Malaysia has been helping broker the government-MILF talks since 2003. – With Alexis Romero