Gov't urged to resume peace talks even without foreign mediator

MANILA, Dec. 2 (PNA)--Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Senator Rodolfo Biazon on Monday urged the government to resume the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) even after Malaysia decided to pull out of the International Monitoring Team in Mindanao.

Biazon, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense, said: ”I had filed a resolution urging the government to continue with the peace process and look for another country only if, there is emphasis in only if, we cannot do it alone.”

Pimentel, on the other hand, believes there is no need for a mediator in the talks as long as both panels are sincere and decisive in resolving the issues involved in the negotiations.

He added the government should engage other sectors of the Muslim community in the peace negotiations including the Ulamas, as well as representatives from the academe, business, non-government organizations, youth, cultural communities and workers.

Pimentel also asked the government to formally propose the creation of a Bangsa Moro Federal State within the ambit of a federalized Philippine republic.

”This is to fulfill the aspirations of the Muslim Filipinos for genuine autonomy and recognition of their rights to preserve their cultural identity and live according to their Islamic faith,” the Senate minority leader stressed.