Philippines, Muslim rebels sign peace deal but obstacles remain
Source: Agencies |
October 16, 2012, Tuesday
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THE Philippines and its largest Muslim rebel group signed a peace deal yesterday that serves as a road map to forming a new autonomous region in the south, but both sides agree much more needs to be done to end over 40 years of conflict.
Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front want to set up the region, to be known as "Bangsamoro," in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic country before Aquino steps down in 2016, giving the Muslim-dominated area greater political powers and more control over resources.
They will return to the negotiating table next month in Malaysia to discuss details on wealth and power sharing, as well as the pace of decommissioning the rebels' 11,000-strong army.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino and front leader Ebrahim Murad held one-on-one talks before the signing of the framework agreement. Murad handed Aquino a miniature gong, which he ritually sounded.
"This is the sound of peace," he told Aquino.
It was Murad and Aquino's second meeting since August 2011, when they held secret talks in Tokyo, a turning point in peace negotiations that have lasted nearly 15 years.
"Much work remains to be done in order to fully reap the fruits of this framework agreement. We have commitments to fulfil, people to lead, and dreams to achieve," Aquino said at the signing ceremony.
Not everyone was so optimistic. Nur Misuari, founder and leader of another Muslim rebel group, the Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with the government in 1996, said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was "signing its death sentence."
Misuari said thousands of Moro Islamic Liberation Front members were abandoning the group because they don't want to surrender their arms, a claim disputed by government and rebel peace panel members.
A small breakaway force, criminal gangs, feuding clans, and al-Qaida-linked Islamic militants are also active in the area, a reminder to potential investors of the volatile security in the south.
Aquino is expected to form a 15-member commission that will propose new legislation to create a new Muslim local government for Bangsamoro, the name given by the Moro tribes for their homeland.
A plebiscite by 2015 in Muslim-dominated areas in the south will determine the shape and size of the new Bangsamoro region.
The autonomous government will have greater political powers and more control over resources, including minerals, oil and natural gas than the existing Muslim-governed entity. Currency, postal services, defense and foreign policy will remain under the central government.
Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front want to set up the region, to be known as "Bangsamoro," in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic country before Aquino steps down in 2016, giving the Muslim-dominated area greater political powers and more control over resources.
They will return to the negotiating table next month in Malaysia to discuss details on wealth and power sharing, as well as the pace of decommissioning the rebels' 11,000-strong army.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino and front leader Ebrahim Murad held one-on-one talks before the signing of the framework agreement. Murad handed Aquino a miniature gong, which he ritually sounded.
"This is the sound of peace," he told Aquino.
It was Murad and Aquino's second meeting since August 2011, when they held secret talks in Tokyo, a turning point in peace negotiations that have lasted nearly 15 years.
"Much work remains to be done in order to fully reap the fruits of this framework agreement. We have commitments to fulfil, people to lead, and dreams to achieve," Aquino said at the signing ceremony.
Not everyone was so optimistic. Nur Misuari, founder and leader of another Muslim rebel group, the Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with the government in 1996, said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was "signing its death sentence."
Misuari said thousands of Moro Islamic Liberation Front members were abandoning the group because they don't want to surrender their arms, a claim disputed by government and rebel peace panel members.
A small breakaway force, criminal gangs, feuding clans, and al-Qaida-linked Islamic militants are also active in the area, a reminder to potential investors of the volatile security in the south.
Aquino is expected to form a 15-member commission that will propose new legislation to create a new Muslim local government for Bangsamoro, the name given by the Moro tribes for their homeland.
A plebiscite by 2015 in Muslim-dominated areas in the south will determine the shape and size of the new Bangsamoro region.
The autonomous government will have greater political powers and more control over resources, including minerals, oil and natural gas than the existing Muslim-governed entity. Currency, postal services, defense and foreign policy will remain under the central government.
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