Philippines: MILF panel willing to compromise with government

This could turn out to be a laboratory test case. Will the MILF really agree to a negotiated settlement and end its violence? Or will it agree for a few years and then take up arms again on some pretext, and again claim the whole of Mindanao—Sulu, Tawi Tawi and Palawan? It may take years to know the answer, but the answer will either prove that the Islamic apologists are correct, that jihad is only defensive and never aggressive, or prove that those apologists have been distorting things all along. "MILF panel willing to compromise with govt," from AP, with thanks to Nicolei:

THE separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front said on Saturday that it is willing to make a compromise with the government that would give control only over Muslim-dominated areas in the region.

The MILF rebels have waged a rebellion for decades to wrestle southern Mindanao island—including the southernmost regions of Sulu, Tawi Tawi and western Palawan province—from the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines.

Rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu acknowledged Saturday it would be difficult to take control of regions where Christian migrants have settled over the years.

“Originally, we wanted the whole of Mindanao—Sulu, Tawi Tawi and Palawan—but the reality is we no longer control all these areas,” Kabalu told The Associated Press by telephone. “There could be a compromise that would give us control over Muslim-majority areas.”

Government and guerrilla negotiators resume long-stalled peace talks on Monday in Malaysia, which has been brokering the negotiations. Both sides welcomed the talks’ resumption but were guardedly optimistic, acknowledging that they were still far from a peace accord.