Below is an article published by GMANews.tv:

[…]

Moro rebels on Sunday [21 November 2010] rejected any resumption of peace negotiations with the Philippine government without the participation of a third-country facilitator, even as the government continues to seek the replacement of the current Malaysian facilitator.

In a statement, Muhammad Ameen, chairperson of the secretariat of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said they will never agree to direct talks with the government without a facilitator “in deference to the diplomatic stage status of the current talks."

The government’s request to replace current facilitator Datuk Othman bin Abd’ Razak, whom the government accused of showing bias toward the MILF, has contributed to the impasse in the peace negotiations between the government and the rebel group.

“The MILF views the attempts to direct talks as masterful trick to localize or domesticate the process and in consequence, creates intrigues between and among the parties especially the facilitating country or its facilitator," Ameen said.

He added the MILF is “tired" of the “usap-usap (plain talk)" and “tayo-tayo lang (just us)" practices of many Filipinos that show lack of intention to resolve the problem.

The group likewise stressed that the choice of facilitator rests solely on Malaysia and not on the MILF or the Philippine government.

“Of course, they (the Philippine government) can raise concerns or reconsideration but in the end, it is primarily Malaysia’s call. The MILF views this issue of facilitator as a matter that can be easily addressed through proper and discreet representation, but the government has resorted to media negotiation, thereby stirring it to become an international issue," Ameen explained.

The MILF also scored the government for branding Razak as biased towards the group, as it challenged the government to cite specific instances where Othman has shown bias for the MILF.

“Such imputation creates the impression that all those documents or agreements signed during his incumbency is suspect and is open to review or scrapping," Ameen said, adding the MILF is defending not the facilitator, but the integrity of the peace process and the agreements signed during his stint.

The government had asked Malaysia several times to replace Othman, with President Benigno Aquino III himself raising the request to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Rrazak at the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Summit in Vietnam last month [October 2010].

The Arroyo administration had also asked twice that Othman be replaced, with both requests denied by the Malaysian government.

In separate statements, however, the government maintained Othman should be replaced for the peace negotiations to move forward.

The government’s chief negotiator, Marvic Leonen, said the administration is looking forward to the immediate resumption of the negotiations as it is committed to resolve differences with the MILF.

However, Leonen said the peace talks would only succeed if Malaysia, which has been the third-country facilitator since 2001, would assign a new official to replace Othman, who has been the assigned official since 2003.

“We trust that Malaysia will seriously consider our legitimate concerns. As far as we are concerned, our panel has been anxious to start in the right way. We are committed to resolve the differences in good faith," Leonen said in a text message.

In another statement posted on the government’s Official Gazette, he said at stake in the negotiations are the country’s interests and not Othman’s.

Leonen also said a “good facilitator" should resign for the sake of the negotiators if one side lacks confidence in him.

Saying Othman is “not indispensable" for peace to be attained in Mindanao, he likewise said Othman should not make statements trivializing the concerns of the Philippine government.

“We are also surprised that he claims credit for the outcome of past negotiations. We thought that these are talks between the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) and the MILF. Has he been dictating the terms of the agreements?" Leonen asked.

“With his statements we are more convinced that the talks can really move forward without him as facilitator. There is too much mistrust and recrimination. We trust that Malaysia knows all these and it does not have Othman but its goodwill to facilitate peace in Mindanao in mind," the chief negotiator added.

For her part, presidential Adviser on the peace process Teresita Deles said they are “working hard" for the negotiations to resume “at the soonest possible time."

The MILF is the largest group calling for self-rule in Mindanao. The peace agreement is expected to finally put an end to the protracted war in Mindanao that has claimed thousands of lives, brought massive destruction to property, and crippled the region’s economy.