What brought the Philippines government to the negotiating table?
It had been going on for twenty years without any progress. There was no war, no peace. Yet the southern area is rich in resources. The government thought the country could never develop solidly without settling the problem in the south. What were the main difficulties? Defining the meaning of autonomy. Also the number of provinces that would come into the autonomous area. Since 1976 there has been demographic change – a lot of Christians have moved in. The majority Muslim area is limited. Misuari can try to win an election in 14 provinces, but in that demographic situation, it’s up to the people. Perhaps he only has a majority in a few. Where did the breakthrough come? The first negotiating meeting in Jakarta agreed to a cease fire. Without a cease fire you cannot negotiate. Indonesia played a role as cease fire observers. It was only a small group, less than a couple of dozen unarmed military officers, headed by the military attache based in Manila. They took up positions within one
