By Hader Glang
ZAMBOANGA CITY
The leader of a city besieged by a Muslim rebel group last year is fighting the suspension of an arrest warrant against its commander, so he can take part in talks aimed at implementing a peace deal between the government and the region's largest one-time rebel group.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar told reporters during a press conference Monday that the Zamboanga government and residents of the predominantly Christian city wanted nothing but justice to be served against for Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari and his followers.
Nearly 200 people died and over 120,000 were left homeless in the siege.
The mayor's strongly worded statement came after a Mindanao statesman said he wanted to invite Misuari to House of Representatives committee deliberations on the recently submitted Bangsamoro Basic Law.
In September 2013, Misuari's group laid siege to Zamboanga to protest a peace deal between breakaway group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government which he claimed is a betrayal of a 1996 agreement between the government and MNLF, has left his organization shortchanged, and granted Muslims in the region lesser autonomy.
Statesman Rufus Rodriguez has said the ad hoc committee wants to hear the sides of those who oppose the proposed law, which seeks to implement the peace deal signed between the government and the MILF, ending its decades of Muslim secessionist movement in the region.
Rodriguez said the bill is targeted to hurdle the committee level by end of November, and to be approved on third reading in the lower chamber by December 17.
Misuari who remains at large and suspected to be under the protection of his followers in the autonomous island province of Sulu has a standing warrant for his arrest on charges of rebellion, violation of international humanitarian law, genocide and other crimes against humanity.
The Congress is eyeing to lift the arrest order against Misuari so he could be part of the discussions on the BBL, as leader of the MNLF.
“On our part as what I’ve said let justice be served which is necessary to the case that we filed, and they have to respond to it necessarily,” Mayor Climaco-Salazar said Monday.
She said whatever is the diplomatic implication, if Congress pushes through with the suspension of the warrant against Misuari “the Department of Justice owes us the explanation.”
“But if we are to follow they have a pending case,” the mayor added.
The Misuari-led MNLF faction has maintained its request for the government to drop the case to give him asylum to represent the MNLF, being the sole group recognized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The MILF broke away from the MNLF in 1977 due to political differences.
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