Sulu sultan denies trying to sabotage govt-MILF peace talks with Sabah standoff

GMANews (Feb 21): Sulu sultan denies trying to sabotage govt-MILF peace talks with Sabah standoff

Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, whose followers are currently engaged in a standoff in Sabah with Malaysian authorities, on Thursday denied accusations his group is trying to sabotage the Philippine government's ongoing peace talks with the secessionist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

“I did not sabotage whatever it is. Gusto ko matapos na.... Wala akong alam diyan,” Kiram told “News To Go” co-anchor Howie Severino.

He, however, maintained that his group was left out from discussions of the framework peace agreement, which the Philippine government and the MILF signed last year.

Some 400 of Kiram's followers, including 20 gunmen, have been in a standoff with Malaysian police in Sabah since early this month, as they assert their claim on what they call their ancestral territory.

The Islamic sultanate, which is based in Mindanao, once controlled parts of Borneo, including the site of the standoff. The sultanate's heirs have been receiving a nominal yearly compensation package from Malaysia under a long-standing agreement for possession of Sabah.

Kiram earlier said his loyalists went to Sabah to protest the peace deal, which he said handed control of much of Sulu to the MILF, supposedly ignoring the sultanate.

Malacañang has refused to answer Kiram's claim that the standoff in Sabah was a consequence of the peace deal. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Philippine and Malaysian authorities are already trying to solve the standoff.

Kiram, however, insisted that his followers will not leave the area until Malaysian officials fly to Manila or a “neutral” territory to negotiate with him.

“Andiyan na 'yan. Hindi na aalis yan. Sabi nila, patay na kami bago kami aalis... Let the Sabah officers come to Manila and we will talk or somewhere in a neutral country ,” he said.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/296015/news/nation/sulu-sultan-denies-trying-to-sabotage-govt-milf-peace-talks-with-sabah-standoff