MILF to demand self-rule in talks with Arroyo gov’t

From the Daily Tribune:

Moslem separatist rebels plan to press the Arroyo administration for self-governance and recognition of their “ancestral domain” to end their decades-old insurgency in the country's strife-torn southern Mindanao region.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) deputy chief Ghazali Jaafar, speaking in his heavily fortified home in Sultan Kudarat province in the region, yesterday said Manila should acknowledge that the Bangsa-moro (Moslem people) historically ruled the southern part of the Philippines, a predominantly Roman Catholic country.

Negotiations with the government of President Arroyo have so far led to a ceasefire and agreements to cooperate on flushing out foreign militants from MILF strongholds.

But when the talks resume next month, the negotiations are likely to include political and economic issues.

“We are not negotiating for surrender,” Jaafar said as he sat under the insurgents' flag and closely guarded by two guerrillas wielding M16 assault rifles.

“But we have been fighting for three decades and it is time we find a solution. Joining the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is 'unaccept-able' because it (ARMM) has been a failure and does not reflect 'the will of the Bangsamoro,'” he added.

In the run-up to the negotiations, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have withdrawn from a former MILF stronghold in Mindanao.

Unspecified military units guarding the Buliok Complex, a military statement also yesterday said, completed a three-day redeployment last Thursday in keeping with an agreement with the rebel group.

“The pullout is seen as a gesture of faith and good will on the government's part as the peace talks resume between the state and the MILF,'' the statement added.

I hope this works out well.