Peace deal before disarmament - MILF

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Moro rebels on Monday stood pat on its disarmament only after a final peace deal is signed. "[Laying down of arms comes after] peace negotiations particularly for rebel groups," Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) civil-military officer Eid Kabalu told BusinessWorld following the government’s new tack on the peace process. Mr. Kabalu said disarmament should be in the "post-conflict agenda of the talks." In a televised program aired over the state-run TV station last week, Executive Secretary Eduardo R. Ermita said the government will need a guarantee from the Moro rebels to surrender their arms after a final peace deal is reached. The government has dropped negotiations after Moro rebels attacked civilian communities in Mindanao following the Supreme Court’s decision to stop the signing of a territory deal between the state and MILF. It instead bared a new approach anchored on disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation (DDR). Ghazali Jaafar, MILF vice-chairman for political affairs, said the MILF accepts the concept of DDR as the "new road map to peace." In a five-point policy statement called the "MILF Declaration Manifest," Mr. Jaafar said the MILF acknowledged that DDR "forms part of the comprehensive peace settlement." But he added it should be the last item, and not in the forefront, of the talks. "When the DDR is taken up ahead of the comprehensive peace settlement, it is interpreted to be a military approach. Not in the way of a political approach that President [Gloria Macapagal] Arroyo promised in 2001 when she replaced the all-out war policy of President [Joseph E.] Estrada for an all-out peace policy," Mr. Jaafar said in a statement. But other members of the MILF suggested that instead of using the words "demilitarization and demobilization," it will be better to use "disposition of forces and weapons" which is more applicable for revolutionary movements. Meanwhile, the government will remain steadfast with its new tack on pursuing the peace process even if the MILF is against it. In a phone patch interview, Deputy Presidential Spokesman Anthony T. Golez, Jr. said the government will still prioritize the DDR since this will prove the sincerity of Moro rebels in pursuing peace. "What the President wants for the peace talks is clear. We cannot end this without disarmament [and rehabilitation]. There will be no sincerity at all if we would not do that except of course the bandits and renegade MILF being pursued by security forces. They refuse to surrender so they are being pursued," he said. — Darwin T. Wee and Alexis Douglas B. Romero, BusinessWorld