MILF CONSIDERS ANCESTRAL DOMAIN AGREEMENT AS A DONE DEAL

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 (Bernama) -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said Wednesday the dissolution of the Philippine government's panel on the Mindanao peace talks has little bearing on the ancestral domain agreement as the group considers it a done deal.

A senior member of the MILF peace talks panel, Datu Micheal Mastura, said
the document, which was supposed to be signed last month, was now known as an
agreed text as both the MILF and the Philippine government had initialled
it.

"Our position on this is very clear that it's a done deal. Under the Vienna
Convention on the Law of Treaties, there's a provision which states that status
of initialing is as good as signature. But whether they comply with it or not
is a different story," he told Bernama when contacted in Mindanao.

He said this when asked whether Manila's decision to dissolve its panel and
end peace talks with the group would affect the agreement which had yet to be
formally signed pending decision from the Philippine Supreme Court.

A news report Wednesday quoted Philippine presidential spokesman Jesus
Dureza as saying that Manila had dissolved its panel and ended the 11-year peace
talks following attacks on communities on the southern island of Mindanao last
month by rogue MILF members, killing civilians and burning property.

However, Mastura said they were still awaiting official notice from the
peace talks secretariat in Kuala Lumpur about the dissolution as "there are
often too many confusing statements coming from various parties in Manila",
before considering the group's next course of action.

"We have expected this and we have our contingency plan. We will deliberate
on it once we receive the official communication from Malaysia. But if they
are indeed dissolving the panel, then there will be other implications.

"Number one, to whom will the IMT (International Monitoring Team) make its
report as the procedure is the IMT reports to both peace talks panels.

"Number two, the relevant agencies and committees will collapse, not to
mention violence will escalate," said the former congressman.

On July 27,Manila and the MILF reached a compromise on the ancestral domain
aspect, which was considered the most contentious issue in the peace process
between the two parties.

The final aspect in the Tripoli Agreement was scheduled to be inked on Aug
5
in Putrajaya but was postponed after the Philippine Supreme Court issued a
temporary restraining order against the signing.


The agreement would create an ancestral homeland for four million Muslims
in
the region, but it was reported that some Catholic politicians, including
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's allies, opposed to it.

Since then, numerous violent incidents have been reported in the volatile
territory of southern Philippines as the Malaysia-led IMT prepared to leave the
region.

However, last week, Foreign Minister Dr Rais Yatim said the IMT
would stay for a short period while waiting for the Supreme Court's decision on
the ancestral domain agreement.

The IMT, which has been charged with peace-keeping in the region for the
past four years, was supposed to end its stint on Aug 31.