The Peace and Reconciliation Program of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) celebrated its ten years of peacebuilding work in Mindanao on December 12-13, 2006 at the Rend Convention Center, Vales Beach Resort, Toril, Davao City.
Recognizing that the efforts to promote and build the culture of peace in Mindanao is a journey made with a number of enriching collaborations with various non-government organizations (NGOs), the CRS invited the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS) and other partner NGOs to the celebration dubbed as “Partners’ Encounter.”
The celebration adopted as theme, “Ten Years of Peacebuilding Work in Mindanao: Appreciating the Past and Envisioning the Future.”
The Partners’ Encounter focused on the consolidation of the collective peacebuilding work in Mindanao for the past ten years; generating lessons learned in the work; identifying current challenges in peacebuilding vis-à-vis the current context in Mindanao and in the country; articulating the collective direction for the next decade of peacebuilding work and strengthening relationships between the CRS and partner organizations.
Mike Kulat, CBCS program officer for peace and development, and Taher Solaiman, staff, attended the celebration. (TGS)
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
MSU officials, Marines connive to cover-up rape case
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
MILF sees hard bargaining ahead in talks
After the one-day “question-and-answer session” in Kuala Lumpur last December 1, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel predicted a hard bargaining ahead for both Parties, as they are still glued to the four strands of ancestral domain especially territory. Aside from territory, the other strands are concept, resources, and governance, which the government and MILF peace negotiators have succeeded to sign at least 29 pertinent consensus points.
Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, after returning from the talks in Malaysia Tuesday, told Luwaran that the prospect for the Parties to forge an agreement is still possible, but the road to that is full of twists and turns.
“Negotiation is not an easy undertaking that only few people have the perseverance and right attitude to withstand the challenges, pressures, and uncertainty surrounding the whole process,” he clarified, adding that to know what you want even if you are rebuffed many times and how to get it is very important.
He described the latest meeting in Kuala Lumpur as very important for the peace process, which enabled the two Parties to have full grasp of the other party’s position, framework, and thinking.
He said the two Parties have not agreed on anything formally in the recent meeting, but mere understanding. Nevertheless, it was recorded officially in the minutes by the Malaysian Secretariat.
Both the MILF and GRP refused to call this meeting as exploratory talks or back-channeling talks.
Asked what the main sticky point is in the present impasse, he said it is still territory, saying the government has not yet presented a proposal good enough to interest or accepted by the MILF.
The MILF wants “more or less contiguous, viable, and wide enough territory” to sustain the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) or State. The recent meeting is described by one member of the MILF negotiating team, who requested anonymity, as very cordial, friendly, and issue focused. (www.luwaran.com)
Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, after returning from the talks in Malaysia Tuesday, told Luwaran that the prospect for the Parties to forge an agreement is still possible, but the road to that is full of twists and turns.
“Negotiation is not an easy undertaking that only few people have the perseverance and right attitude to withstand the challenges, pressures, and uncertainty surrounding the whole process,” he clarified, adding that to know what you want even if you are rebuffed many times and how to get it is very important.
He described the latest meeting in Kuala Lumpur as very important for the peace process, which enabled the two Parties to have full grasp of the other party’s position, framework, and thinking.
He said the two Parties have not agreed on anything formally in the recent meeting, but mere understanding. Nevertheless, it was recorded officially in the minutes by the Malaysian Secretariat.
Both the MILF and GRP refused to call this meeting as exploratory talks or back-channeling talks.
Asked what the main sticky point is in the present impasse, he said it is still territory, saying the government has not yet presented a proposal good enough to interest or accepted by the MILF.
The MILF wants “more or less contiguous, viable, and wide enough territory” to sustain the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) or State. The recent meeting is described by one member of the MILF negotiating team, who requested anonymity, as very cordial, friendly, and issue focused. (www.luwaran.com)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
