Posted on 11/13/2007 9:10:48 PM PST by jwalburg
Kuala Lumpur (dpa) - Philippine and Muslim rebel peace negotiators began peace talks Wednesday in Malaysia's capital city, where Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak voiced hopes for a quick end to conflict in the troubled Philippine region of Mindanao.
Najib, who is also Malaysia's defence minister, urged representatives from the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to continue their resolve to end decades of fighting.
"It is my hope that the last obstacle can be resolved - that is the handing over of a province to be governed by the MILF," Najib was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency late Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday's talks.
"The international monitoring team led by us has been stationed in the area for more than three years, and we cannot be there indefinitely. There must be a deadline, and a political solution must be found."
The two-day talks in Kuala Lumpur would include finalizing discussions on ancestral domain and on a proposed Muslim homeland in the region of Mindanao.
Malaysia's chief facilitator Othman Abdul Razak said Tuesday that discussions would also focus on maritime matters and marine resources, as well as the revival of a joint-action committee to handle criminal activities in the conflict areas.
The peace talks have been stalled since September 2006, after the two sides failed to agree on the geographical and financial scope of the proposed Muslim homeland, which expands an existing autonomous region.
The MILF has been fighting since 1978 for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao. In the past, it claimed that all of Mindanao is the ancestral domain of the country's Muslim minority and should be governed separately from the rest of the Philippines.
Yeah. Like in Gaza.
Another country that will soon surrender to the islamist. They beat the Japanese but will soon become another Islamic country.
It doesn’t seem likely that after they have their own island they will be satisfied and leave the infidels alone.
Uh...the Philippines is 94% Christian. I don’t think they’ll be surrendering any time soon.
Would you care to expound on that?
Like, they had just a little bit of help.........
MILF = Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Our experience with them dates from the 1898 Spanish-American War. They were fighting the Spanish before that. Even if the national government caves and recognizes an Islamic homeland, the muslims will still fight among each other for the supremacy of their particular view of Islam.
IMHO, the only solution is to round 'em all up and give them a homeland in Antarctica.
Hudna
And as the House of Representatives in Manila reels from a bomb blast. Yep, them muskies sure are a peace loving group.
Wherever there is fighting in the world it is muzzies behind it.
It might work - Islam is a religion of peace....
Laughs, nah I’m just kidding :D
These are the guys who talk while everybody reloads.
If this sounds familiar... it is.
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