'Progress in gov't, MILF peace talks'

BANGSAMORO leaders bid for greater unity over the weekend through a three-day dialogue facilitated by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) inside Camp Darapanan, its administrative complex here.

This developed as the Malaysian facilitator of the peace talks between government and the MILF revealed that another breakthrough in the parties ongoing negotiations is afoot.

Speaking at the opening rites of the Bangsamoro Leaders Assembly on Saturday, Tengku Dato Ab Ghafar Bin Tengku Mohamed likened the peace negotiations between government and the MILF to reading a book.

"Before, they were not only reading different chapters; they were reading different books," Tengku said.

"Today, they are now reading the same chapter. (And) by end of July, they would be reading the same paragraph," he added.

The panels are set to meet in Kuala Lumpur next week.

The upcoming breakthrough comes barely three months after the highly lauded 10 Decision Points that the peace panels signed in April. The agreement laid the basic principles for a future negotiated settlement to end over four decades of Moro rebellion in Mindanao.

MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim said 550,000 Moro from various regions in Mindanao gathered in Camp Darapanan for the assembly's opening rites.

MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said among the large contingents were from Lanao and Western Mindanao.

"We salute you for this show of unarmed force for peace," presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Quintos-Deles said of the participants. The opening rites also gathered diplomats, functionaries of local and national governments, and representatives of various civil society groups and development agencies.

The assembly happen amid the growing international interest on Moro unity especially at a time of increasing prospects of concluding soonest the peace negotiations between government and the MILF.

Apart from preparing the Bangsamoro for an eventual political settlement, MILF vice-chair Ghazali Jaafar said there is a need to achieve understanding of common steps, approaches and strategies to hasten the goal of ending historical injustices on the Moros.

"We come here to listen and learn from each other," said Lanao del Sur Rep. Pangalian Balindong, a former MNLF official.

Speaking before the assembly, Maguindanao vice-governor Ismael Mastura proposed the formulation of a manifesto calling for Bangsamoro unity on the shared goals of justice, peace and freedom.

Mastura said he is volunteering to be the first one to sign such manifesto. His father, Datu Michael Mastura, is a senior member of the MILF peace panel.

On Sunday, the Moro leaders assembly formally took place with Iqbal facilitating the process. It was off-limits to reporters.

Iqbal said the day-long dialogue was designed to have free-willing discussions with Moro leaders from various sectors and organizational and party affiliations to get their ideas mainly on how to achieve higher unity and their feedbacks on how the MILF handled the peace negotiations. MindaNews