The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is no longer pushing for the independence of Muslims.

Mohagher Iqbal, chairman of the MILF peace panel, reiterated this Wednesday in Malaysia where the Moro group met with negotiators of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) led by panel chairman Ambassador Rafael Seguis last March 3 for a “Question-and-Answer Session.”

This developed as Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Annabelle T. Abaya assured Friday that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) “respects the processes and steps” undertaken by the Philippine government called “reflective dialogues” to achieve a long-term solution to the Mindanao problem.

Abaya made the statement following a meeting between the peace panels of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the MILF in Kuala Lumpur last Thursday.

In the Malaysia meeting, the GRP wanted to clarify the MILF's seven-point document submitted to Malaysian facilitator Datuk Othman bin Abdul Razzak. The document, handed by Iqbal when Abdul Razzak visited late last month the MILF's Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, contains a summary of the “doables” from the 38-page MILF draft proposal for a Comprehensive Peace Compact (CPC).

“Doables” refer to provisions of the MILF's CPC which the Executive can implement without need for Congress’ imprimatur.

The MILF leader spoke at the opening of last Wednesday's peace talks, detailing, among others, the abrupt end of the two parties' 17th Exploratory Meeting on January 27 to 28 in Kuala Lumpur because of wide gap between the Moro group's CPC and GRP's draft proposal containing an offer of “enhanced autonomy.”

“If the peace talks is passing through a turbulent zone today – and on the verge of signing nothing until President Arroyo's exit on June 30, this year – it is because the GRP is not very truthful to what is agreed by the Parties at the start of their engagement,” said Iqbal.

The MILF leader was referring to the gentleman's agreement reached by the two sides that GRP would not invoke the Constitution and territorial integrity in the talks and the Moro rebel in turn not raising the issue of independence.

“Up to now, the MILF has not breached this commitment, and we have declared time and again that the MILF will no longer pursue independence as solution to the Bangsamoro problem in favor of an asymmetrical arrangement of a 'state-and-substate’ arrangement,” said Iqbal.

It was recalled that MILF founder Ustadhz Salamat Hashim split from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chaired by Prof. Nur Misuari in 1977 because, among other reasons, the MNLF downgraded its independence struggle into autonomy.

Seguis, in a text to the Manila Bulletin welcomed Iqbal's statement on the independence issue.

“That is certainly a welcome development,” Seguis said as his plane from Kuala Lumpur to Manila was preparing to be airborne. (With a report from Francis T. Wakefield)