Asked why there was no mention of independence in Murad’s speech even as the MILF is known to be fighting for a separate Islamic state, Wadi said: “That is part of the MILF’s strategy. They don’t want to be jeopardizing the peace negotiations at a time when things are moving with relative ease. So as far as they’re concerned, you don’t go around saying such sensitive words as ‘independence’ at this point.”

The GRP is known to prefer a solution to the Mindanao problem that falls within the ambit of the present Constitution.

Wadi however also described Murad as “more of a modernist” compared to the late MILF founding chairman Dr. Salamat Hashim. “When you say ‘modernist,’” Wadi explained, “you are talking about someone who is more open to certain compromises.”

This could pose a problem in the later stages of the peace talks, Wadi said, because there is a section within the MILF which he described as “more idealistic in pursuing the struggle.” The elements within this section, Wadi said, may later be a source of dissent and even go as far as allying themselves with the MNLF, who he said could be expected to defend their gains from the 1996 peace agreement when the negotiations reach the critical points.

U.S. involvement

Asked what reason the U.S. may have for its involvement in the GRP-MILF peace negotiations, Wadi said that Mindanao is strategic for the U.S. both economically and militarily.

The 200,000-ha. Liguasan Marsh straddling North Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat, covered by the MILF’s area of operations, contains oil reserves, according to the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC).

Meanwhile, the Stratfor, a Texas-based think tank, reported in late 2003 that the U.S. had begun building a base in Sarangani Bay near General Santos City in South Cotabato. According to the report, the facility would be “an operations and logistics base and would be a springboard for U.S. military power in Southeast Asia.”

The U.S. is involved in the GRP-MILF peace talks in a “facilitating” capacity through the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), a federal institution created by the U.S. Congress “to promote the prevention, management, and peaceful resolution of international conflicts.” The USIP receives a regular budget from the U.S. government, and its board of directors is appointed by the U.S. president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

MILF

The MILF was formed in 1978, when a group led by Dr. Salamat Hashim broke away from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) led by Nur Misuari.

That year, the MNLF, which had been fighting for an independent state in Mindanao, signed an agreement with the Marcos government in Tripoli, Libya which provided for a grant of autonomy to Muslim Mindanao. The Marcos government had insisted that a plebiscite be held to settle the territories of the autonomous government. The MNLF refused to recognize the results of the plebiscite and negotiations with the GRP bogged down.

The MILF was formed from the group that broke away from the MNLF. It has been fighting for an Islamic state in Mindanao. Peace negotiations between the GRP and the MILF began in 1996, under the administration of then President Fidel V. Ramos. Bulatlat