Message by the telephone from USec. [Carmelo] Barbero through Amb. Carlos Valdez in Rome—
That their meetings started at 6:00 PM and after 1½ hours Minister Ali Al Treki came down to preside and said he was more optimistic because he had talked to Pres. Marcos and he believes in the President’s sincerity.
Amb. [Tenetogh?] to prepare draft of a working paper to be used for discussion embodying MNLF [Moro National Liberation Front] position and Phil. position but the basis would be the Tripoli agreement.
USec. Barbero agreed but reserved the right to submit amendments and revive his objections.
Working paper to be finished Tuesday.
Ali Al Treki announced that Amb. Dreiza would arrive with the letter of Pres. Marcos to Pres. [Muammar] Khaddafy.
Negotiations adjourned until Tuesday.
He inquires “What compromise proposal can we submit?”—
Amb. Castro arrived with the letter of USec. Barbero embodying the MNLF proposals which are atrocious. “Outrageous” was the unanimous reaction of the Secretaries of Defense, Foreign Affairs and Justice.
I am working on my letter to President Khaddafy explaining that our records of our conversations on Dec. 23, 1977 [sic] show that a plebiscite was agreed upon as a part of the “constitutional processes” referred to in Art. XVI and was agreed upon as a compromise suggested by President Marcos upon the request of the Islamic Conference Minister Ali Abdussalam Treki and the conference itself.
No Official Gazette entry for this day.