Philippine govt and MNLF sign peace agreement

Philippine govt and MNLF sign peace agreement

By Pandaya

MANILA (JP): The Philippine government and the Moslem-
separatist Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) signed a peace
agreement yesterday, thereby ending 25 years of conflict which
claimed more than 125,000 lives.

In the historic event at the Malacanang presidential palace,
the Philippine government was represented by Manuel T. Yan, who
represents its peace panel, and the MNLF by its chairman Nur
Misuari.

Witnessing the signing of the agreement were Philippine
President Fidel V. Ramos, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ali Alatas and Secretary-General of the Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC) Hamid Algabid.

The accord, which was finalized in Jakarta last week under
Indonesia's facilitation, sets up a three-year interim Southern
Council for Peace and Development to supervise the economic
development of 14 southern provinces.

Misuari will head the council, the forerunner to the
administration of the Moslem autonomous region to be installed in
three years time.

President Ramos and Misuari hugged each other amid thunderous
applaud from about 1,000 religious and community leaders in their
colorful Mindanao traditional costumes, church leaders and
politicians that packed into the palace's function room.

"Today we are all victors once again. We stand triumphant over
war and violence -- over fear and mistrust -- over disunity and
despair," Ramos said.

"Our people in the South and all over our republic can now
rejoice and embrace one another as brothers and sisters of one
family," he added.

Ramos and Misuari praised President Soeharto and his
administration for ensuring the peace talks concluded to the
satisfaction of all parties.

Indonesia, which is an OIC member, hosted the MNLF-Philippine
government peace talks since 1993.

The peace accord allows the government to skirt constitutional
hurdles like elections and legislations, albeit only temporarily.
But both sides will have to face the voters in 1999 when Manila
is required to hold a referendum to determine which areas will
fall under Moslem autonomy.

The five million Moslems on Mindanao consider the island their
ancestral homeland even though Christian migrants now outnumber
them.

Christian politicians have vowed to fight the peace deal
because they fear autonomy will eventually lead to domination by
Moslems.

Filipino Moslems belonging to the Moro Islamic National
Liberation Front (MILF) and others led by Abu Sayyaf, who want to
make Mindanao into an independent Islamic state, are also opposed
to it.

Misuari said in a press conference that the first thing he
would do is restore stability but not raise expectations. "We
will tell our sisters and brothers not to expect too much too
soon because we cannot provide everything overnight," he said.

He reckoned that the major problem he is likely to face after
the agreement takes effect is how to "establish peace" in the
southern provinces considering the lack of a budget to implement
it.

Misuari dispelled doubts on the prospects of the accord once
Ramos is no longer in power. "He (President Ramos) has ensured me
he would see to it that his successor is someone sympathetic to
the Moro cause," he said.

He said security is his major concern because the MNLF does
not have its own police force and has to rely on the government's
armed forces.

An estimated 7,500 MNLF troops will join the Philippine Armed
Forces and the police.

The secessionist conflict in the southern provinces started
when MNLF militia seized the Mindanao state university in Marawi
in October 1972.

Peace talks made progress only after political stability
returned to the Philippines under the Ramos administration, which
restarted the negotiations in 1993 under the facilitation of
Indonesia.

Alatas -- Page 2

Misuari -- Page 4

Photo -- Page 11