Philippines in peace deal with Muslim rebels

Ebrahim said they believed that peace is possible in both words and action The leader of Southeast Asia's biggest separatist group based in the southern Philippines has warned of escalating conflict if they are forced to defend themselves against an expanding government offensive. In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera's Veronica Pedrosa, Haji al-Murad Ebrahim, the chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said he did not want to have "another Iraq" in South-East Asia. But he said if his forces were "pushed to the wall" they would have no option but to retaliate. "We are calling upon the international community to intercede," he said. "We still believe that the best situation is going back to the peace process." The warning follows a recent spate of violence which effectively ended a ceasefire and put paid to a peace deal between the Philippine government and fighters in the volatile Muslim-majority region last month. No terror ties In the interview, Ebrahim also rejected accusations from some intelligence agencies that the MILF had ties with the al-Qaeda international "terror" network led by Osama bin Laden. "We have been consistently accused of this and we have consistently also denied having any connection with the al-Qaeda and with the JI [Jemaah Islamiyah]," he said. He, however, added that because of the war situation in Mindanao anyone could come in as "there is no control of the area". The MILF chairman said the group was very thankful to the international community for supporting the peace process, saying they believed that peace can be achieved both on the negotiating table and on the ground. Amina Rasul, director of the Philippine Council on Islam and Democracy, which plays a big role in Philippine Muslim civil society, said the group was "extremely worried" that the conflict will escalate and called on the United Nations and other international bodies to push for a return to negotiations. Speaking to Al Jazeera from Manila she said that even before talks broke down there were reports that both sides were reinforcing troops, and that the recent kidnappings of aid and development workers had only added pressure to an already tense situation. Continuing violence Intense fighting has displaced more than half a million people In the latest violence on Wednesday, MILF fighters attacked an army patrol in the town of Calanugas, killing seven soldiers and at least one rebel fighter, according to Philippine military officials. Hours later they attacked an army outpost in the same town, wounding five soldiers and taking an undetermined number of casualties, Colonel Rey Ardo, the local commander, said. In another clash on the same day, MILF fighters ambushed troops escorting labourers to a road project. Colonel Dickson Hermoso, a local government commander, said two soldiers were wounded in the attack. Negotiations between the government and the MILF, which wants an expanded Muslim area in the Mindanao region, broke down last month. The parties were supposed to sign the peace deal on August 5, creating an ancestral homeland for four million Muslims. But the deal on the size of a Muslim homeland and a future government's powers failed following protests by local Roman Catholic politicians and community leaders. Since then, about 100 civilians have been killed and more than half a million people have lost their homes and livelihoods, creating a growing refugee crisis. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross the fighting has reached its worst level in five years. President Benigno Aquino says the "framework agreement" between government and MILF separatists will be signed shortly.

The roadmap aims to help create a new autonomous region in Muslim-majority areas in the south

The Philippine government and Muslim rebels have agreed to a preliminary peace deal for the country's troubled south, President Benigno Aquino has announced, signalling an end to a 40-year conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people and crippled the region's economy. The deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), announced on Sunday, sets in train a roadmap to create a new autonomous region in the Muslim-majority areas in the south of the mainly Catholic country before the end of Aquino's term in 2016. Aquino described the deal in a nationally televised announcement as a "framework agreement". It follows marathon negotiations between the government and the MILF in Malaysia, which is brokering the talks. The agreement is expected to be signed in a few days in the capital, Manila, officials said. It spells out the general principles on major issues, including the extent of power, revenues and territory of the Muslim region. If all goes well, a final peace deal can be reached by 2016, when Aquino's six-year term ends, according to the officials. "This framework agreement paves the way for final and enduring peace in Mindanao," Aquino said, referring to the Philippines' main southern region and the homeland of the country's Muslims. "This means that the hands that once held rifles will be put to use tilling land, selling produce, manning work stations and opening doorways of opportunity." He cautioned, however, that "the work does not end here," saying "there are still details both sides must thresh out". Al Jazeera's Jamela Alindogan, reporting from Manila, said the framework agreement had been a long time coming. "Negotiations betwen the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Philippine government in fact have been going on for decades," she said. "This is just a preliminary peace pact agreement," she said. "The most crucial part is the implementation of the peace pact agreement on the ground - how to effectively change the lives of people on the ground. As we know there are many forces there, are they going to be willing to share the powers and controls that they have?" Significant progress "Since President Aquino took office two years ago there has been very strong relations, good relations, between the two parties," our correspondent said. President Benigno Aquino said the deal paves the way for "final and enduring peace" [AFP] "The sincerity of President Aquino to have a long-lasting peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has been well accepted. I think that political capital has been well spent." The deal marks the most significant progress in 15 years of negotiations with the 11,000-strong Moro group on ending an uprising that has left more than 120,000 people dead and held back development in the south. Western governments have long worried that rebel strongholds could become breeding grounds for al-Qaeda-affiliated extremists. "The parties agree that the status quo is unacceptable,"said the 13-page agreement, seen by The Associated Press. It calls for the creation of a new Muslim autonomous region called the "Bangsamoro" to replace an existing one, which was created in 1989 and that Aquino characterised on Sunday as "failed experiment". The accord calls for the establishment of a 15-member "Transition Commission" that would thresh out the details of the preliminary agreement and draft a law creating the new Muslim autonomous region in about two years. The rebels would undertake a "graduated programme" to decommission their armed guerrilla units "so that they are put beyond use," the agreement said, without specifying a timetable. Philippine officials said the preliminary accord would be posted on the government's website for public scrutiny and signed soon in the Philippine capital in the presence of Aquino, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Moro rebel chief Al Haj Murad Ibrahim.