The leader of the Philippines' largest Muslim guerrilla group on Monday said peace talks to end the long-running insurgency could be derailed by the new government's plans to overhaul the negotiations. Since 1997 Manila has been engaged in stop-start negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to end a conflict that began in the 1960s and has killed 120,000 people, displaced 2 million and stunted growth on resource-rich Mindanao island. The rebels have agreed to talks with the new government of Benigno Aquino III, but are worried it wants to remove Malaysia as a broker and review all previous deals. Distrust between the parties would undermine hopes for a lasting peace. “Hints are piling up that they want to start the talks from scratch, wants to localize the talks and replace the facilitator of the talks,” al haj Ebrahim Murad, leader of the 11,000-member MILF, told foreign correspondents invited to their main base. “If true, these are serious propositions that can delay or even imperil the peace talks,” Murad said. In response, the government's chief negotiator said he was eager to resume talks and had no intention of starting from scratch, but the new administration needed to review the talks and agreements reached with the past government. Last month, Aquino said talks with the MILF would resume after the end of Islam's holy month of Ramadan in September. He said that a just peace was necessary to attract investment to the Philippines, which is a goal of his government. Mindanao is rich in minerals and also offers access to oil and gas fields, but the insurgency and other security problems in the south have deterred investors. One of the MILF's demands is a greater share of the royalties from Mindanao's resources. Murad urged the government to try and wrap up negotiations because a lasting deal was less likely the longer the problem dragged on. “We want the problem resolved in our lifetime because the next generation are more militant and more radical due to their long exposure to the conflict,” the 62-year-old leader said. He said nearly 90 agreements had been signed since 1997, including ceasefires, rehabilitation of conflict areas and allowing foreign governments and groups as observers in talks. “We will not agree to resume talks from scratch, we should continue from where we left off,” he said. That included keeping Malaysia as facilitator of the talks after rumours spread that Manila favored holding negotiations in Indonesia. Kuala Lumpur's defence minister is due to pay a visit to the MILF on Tuesday. The rebels are demanding genuine self-rule, describing a government offer of autonomy as “bogus” because the Muslim areas would remain dependent on the central government in Manila. “We want a sub-state within the Philippine state where we can exercise our freedom and right of self
