By Jason GUTIERREZ MANILA (AFP) – The Philippines said Sunday it was aiming swiftly to sign a final peace deal with Muslim rebels to end a rebellion that has killed tens of thousands, following a major breakthrough in talks. Chief peace negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the government could reach a final deal with the Moro […]
The Philippine government’s chief peace negotiator with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front said Monday she is positive talks with the secessionist group will “achieve something” despite pending contentious issues. Peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said both parties resumed peace talks in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia in a “congenial” tone as they try to agree on the wealth-sharing and power-sharing arrangements for the proposed Bangsamoro political entity. “We’re focusing on the options here. We had a very congenial discussion on these issues. These issues are still on the table,” Coronel-Ferrer said in an interview aired over ANC. She added that the 38th round of peace talks between the Philippine government and the MILF will last until Thursday. The peace talks resumed months after the MILF had accused the government of delaying the signing of the peace agreement after allegedly reneging on its commitment to meet with MILF negotiators immediately after the May 10 elections and for proposing changes in the wealth-sharing agreement. MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar earlier said that his group is likely to reject the government’s proposed changes in the wealth-sharing annex. Last October, the government and the MILF signed a landmark framework agreement that would pave the way for the creation of a Bangsamoro territory to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). — ELR, GMA News
By Nikko DizonPhilippine Daily Inquirer 1:37 am | Saturday, June 22nd, 2013 President Benigno Aquino III gives a miniature figurine to Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim before the historic signing of the framework agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF at the Malacanang Presidential Palace last Oct. 15. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Formal talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Kuala Lumpur will resume in July, government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said in a statement released by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) on Friday. “The panel chairs have already agreed on a date early next month to further discuss the annexes on wealth sharing, power sharing and normalization,” Ferrer said. Amid reports of a “stalemate” in talks to solve the 40-year rebellion in Mindanao, Ferrer met informally with MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal in Oslo where they both attended the Oslo Forum 2013. The event was organized by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue last June 18 and 19. Ferrer said she had given Iqbal the government’s full proposals on the wealth sharing annex “for the MILF to study and consider.” The wealth sharing annex has been a controversial issue of late between the government and the MILF, with the latter protesting a “review” conducted by the Aquino administration on the document even after the two panels’ working committees affixed their signatures on it. The MILF considers Read More …