Confusion prevails over Abdurrahman-Salamat dialog

Confusion prevails over Abdurrahman-Salamat dialog

MANILA (Agencies): There is still confusion on whether
Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid will meet with Filipino
insurgency leader Hashim Salamat.

Rebel officials said it would be held on Monday while
Philippine officials say it is unlikely to happen at all due to
security concerns.

The meeting, proposed to be held in the southern Philippine
city of General Santos, is a bid to boost peace talks between
government and separatist rebels.

It would take place after this weekend's Association of
Southeast Asian Nations summit in Manila which Abdurrahman is set
to attend.

Ghazali Jaafar, vice-chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF), said rebel leaders were "excited" about the meeting
between the Indonesian president and MILF chairman Hashim
Salamat.

"It is a meeting of two great Muslim leaders. A meeting of
peace between fellow Muslims," he said.

"This is a very positive development in relation to the peace
talks between the MILF and the Philippine government," he added.

"We expect the meeting to help both sides in their efforts to
resolve the problems in Mindanao peacefully."

Jaafar said he expects Salamat to discuss the MILF's bid for
independence, the ongoing formal talks with Manila and to explore
possibilities of Indonesia mediating in the negotiations.

Indonesia, under the administration of former president
Soeharto, played a crucial role in forging a peace agreement
between the Philippine government and the larger Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) in September 1996.

The 15,000 strong MILF is the last insurgent group fighting
for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines.

Although it has opened peace talks with the government,
frequent battles still rage and there have been several in the
past week.

Jaafar did not say where the meeting would take place, but
officials of a Muslim autonomous area in the southern Philippines
said the venue would be a large hotel in General Santos.

However, Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said
Abdurrahman may not be able to attend given the worsening
security situation in the southern Philippines.

"It's unlikely he'll go there, it's getting a bit hot," Siazon
said, referring to recent clashes in Mindanao between government
troops and MILF guerrillas.

Presidential Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora also said
Abdurrahman may not be able to meet with Hashim.

"I am not too sure that this meeting will go ahead because
President Wahid also has a very busy schedule," he said.

Philippine President Joseph Estrada has supported the visit,
saying it will help government peace efforts.

On Wednesday, Estrada backed the Abdurrahman-Salamat dialog
and described it as part of efforts to contain a breakout of
separatist sentiment in the region.

"We are quite sure that President Wahid, like all leaders in
ASEAN countries, would endeavor to protect the territorial
integrity not only of their respective countries, but also their
neighbors," said Presidential spokesman Jerry Barican.

"Any successful secession will spread like flu in the region
and would lead to greater political and security destabilization
in Southeast Asia," Barican added.

Jaafar stressed that the MILF would not abandon its demand for
independence, noting, "It is the aspiration of the Bangsamoro
(Muslim nation) people. We cannot compromise the demand of the
Bangsamoro people for self-determination."