The Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group wants incoming President Benigno Aquino to offer a clear, long-term solution to the rebellion in the south of the mainly Catholic country, a senior guerilla leader said Monday. Since 1997 there have been off-and-on negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to end a conflict that has run more than 40 years, killing 120,000 people and displacing 2 million in the resource-rich south. A sustained resolution to the conflict is essential to removing a long-term investment risk in the Philippines, and could improve access to gold and copper deposits on the island of Mindanao, as well as nearby offshore gas and oil fields. Mohaqher Iqbal, the MILF's chief peace negotiator, told Reuters he was optimistic talks would continue under Aquino, who has a commanding lead in unofficial tallies of last week's vote, but wanted more details of the new government's plans. “So far, what we've been hearing from his peace advisers are short-term solutions, such as sustaining the ceasefire, allowing displaced families to return home and resuming formal peace talks,” Iqbal said by phone from the southern island of Mindanao. “What we wanted to hear from them are much clearer, more specific and long-term political commitments that can be carried out faithfully. We're tired of promises and band-aid solutions.” Teresita Quinto-Deles, one of Aquino's advisers, told Reuters the next government had targets on resolving the rebellion it wanted to achieve in the first 100 days in office. These included compensation to displaced families and setting up mechanisms to “rebuild trust and confidence in the peace process”. Iqbal said the 11,000-strong MILF had dropped demands for a separate and independent Islamic state but wanted more than just an autonomous government, including a greater share of revenues generated by strategic resources, such as oil and gas and metals. “The autonomy set-up is a failed experiment,” he said, adding there were other models where Muslims and other ethnic tribes could govern themselves under the Philippine republic. In August 2008, a deal to create a Muslim ancestral homeland with wide political and economic powers was blocked by the Supreme Court after some politicians challenged the agreement. The aborted deal led to an escalation in fighting. A renewed truce took effect last year and formal talks resumed this year with the intention of reaching an interim agreement before the end of outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's term on June 30, but a deal has not yet been reached. The two sides will return to Kuala Lumpur this month to try to reach an interim deal before Arroyo steps down.
