No foreign role in peace talks: senators

Manila: Pro-administration and opposition senators urged the Philippine government not to allow the United States and a member country of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to intervene in its peace talks with a major Muslim secessionist group based in the southern Philippines.

"There is a perception that Malaysia is not an honest broker and in the interest of better relations, it should not be part of the peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)," said Senator Richard Gordon.

Senator Francis Pangilinan called for revamping the negotiating team, adding that the new team must not be pressured by the United States and Malaysia.

"We should review that [proposal] and see if that is in our best interest," Pangilinan said.

Giving up the struggle

Malaysia, an OIC member country, has been brokering the government-MILF peace talks which began in 1997. Sources said the OIC has supported the Philippine government's request that the MILF should give up its secessionist stance and armed struggle to establish an independent Islamic state in Mindanao.

When MILF founder Hashim Selamat wrote a letter to the United States saying the MILF has abandoned violence, the US government vowed to pour more development assistance into Mindanao, with a condition that the Philippine government and the MILF finalise a peace settlement and end more than 40 years of armed struggle in the south.

Senator Miriam Santiago said President Gloria Arroyo has accepted the proposal that the Senate should be part of the negotiating team.

"President Arroyo accepts that the Senate should play an active role in treaty negotiations, with respect to constitutional and other issues," explained Santiago, adding,

"Senators can anticipate what problems might arise on the treaty at the Senate."

On August 5, the Supreme Court prevented the Philippine government and the MILF from signing a memorandum of agreement on the expansion of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.