‘Bring Asean, UN into government-MILF talks’

MARAWI CITY—Bring in Asean, the United Nations and other “local and international guarantors” to monitor how the parties are fulfilling their commitments to peace-building in Mindanao.

So urged civil society groups in a position paper addressed to both the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), whose peace panels began a three-day exploratory meeting in Kuala Lumpur to hammer out a political settlement to end over four decades of Moro rebellion in Mindanao.

The civil society peace network Mindanao Peace-Weavers (MPW) said the involvement of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in peace-building in Mindanao must be sought “to monitor and evaluate (the) implementation of interim agreements and the final peace compact” between the parties.

Asean, a bloc of 10 countries, was established in 1967 by the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

According to the MPW, which is composed of nine civil society peace networks, the regional bloc can play a role through the Asean Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR) created by the heads of state during the May 2011 summit to boost Asean’s capacity in “conflict resolution and the pacific settlement of disputes as well as post-conflict peace-building.”

Last week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the 45th Asean Ministerial Meeting approved the AIPR Terms of Reference that would be launched in November.

Int’l Contact Group

According to the MPW, the involvement of Asean and the United Nations would bring in more international actors to the Mindanao peace process, particularly in the post-conflict stage.

Currently, four foreign governments and four international nongovernment organizations comprise the International Contact Group created in September 2009 “to exert proper leverage and to sustain the interest of the parties” in peace negotiations and ensure compliance with mutually agreed on obligations.

The ICG is composed of state members Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Japan, and non-state entities The Asia Foundation, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Muhammadiyah and Conciliation Resources.

As of noon Monday,  sources within the government and the rebel group said the 29th exploratory meeting had yet to be formally opened as the panels were still holding an executive session to set the agenda.

Common grounds

“As the most difficult substantive issues are now the focus of negotiations, we continue to hope and pray that common ground between the two parties prevail over hard lines,” said Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles in a statement.

The MILF, meanwhile, posted on  its official website Monday that it expected the agenda to address such issues as an interim arrangement, power-sharing, wealth-sharing, the territory of the new autonomous political entity, normalization, basic law, and the constitutional accommodation of an upcoming peace agreement.

Very contentious

The MILF post also shared the government panel’s optimism, although it admitted that “anything can still happen,” as “the other issues remained very contentious.”

In an earlier interview, MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said other substantive issues like wealth-sharing and power-sharing may not be as ticklish “because there are models throughout the world that can be studied…to help our discussions.”

Iqbal said the guarantee of a plebiscite among affected villages on the issue of territory should allay “earlier apprehensions arising from misinformation that the peace pact (would) be rammed down people’s throats.”

Transitory mechanisms

According to an MPW proposal, transitory mechanisms must be installed immediately as soon as the parties “sign an interim peace agreement.”

Malacañang and Congress should then enact the necessary policy instruments “to legalize the interim agreements” especially the grant of governance powers to a Transitional Commission (Transcom). Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao