Manila: The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has dropped its demand for a separate Islamic state in southern Philippines and instead is open to a ‘state-substate" relationship with the Philippine government, the group's chief negotiator has said.
"We have declared time and again that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will no longer pursue independence as solution to the Bangsamoro problem in favour of an asymmetrical arrangement of a ‘state-and-substate'," said Mohagher Iqbal, chief negotiator with the MILF.
Bogus offer
"An offer of bogus autonomy is no solution at all — and the MILF will never accept, knowing fully well that our people and the generations yet to come will suffer forever," said Iqbal.
Manila's negotiators however said that the MILF proposal would require an amendment in the Philippine Constitution.
"That's the reason why we are talking with the public. We want reactions to this proposal," said Anabelle Abaya, who is President Gloria Arroyo's chief adviser on the peace process who also serves as Manila's chief negotiator.
Interim agreement
Abaya said the Philippine government has asked the MILF to approve an interim peace agreement to enable Arroyo's successor to have something to follow through.
The forging of an interim agreement would prevent the outlawing of an earlier deal between the Philippine government and the MILF that was not signed in 2008, said Abaya.
The spirit of the state and sub-state relationship is closer, in essence, to the proposed memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain, which was not signed by both parties in Kuala Lumpur in 2008, Iqbal explained.
