(Updated 5:00 a.m.) Negotiators of the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have reached agreement on the wealth-sharing annex of their peace compact in their latest round of talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The statement, however, did not provide any details on the issues agreed upon in the approved annex on wealth sharing.
But it said the annex “will provide sufficient guidance for the crafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law’s provisions on wealth sharing and revenue generation for the Bangsamoro as envisioned by the Framework Agreement onthe Bangsamoro.”
GPH panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer and MILF peace panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal said the Technical Working Group on Normalization and the special team on power sharing made some progress but did not go into details in their joint statement.
The annex paves the way for the two sides to decide how to divide up income from taxes and natural resources in the self-rule area.
The negotiations aim to create a new autonomous region for the Muslim minority in Mindanao, the southern third of the mainly Catholic nation of about 100 million people.
The 12,000-member MILF has waged a guerrilla war for a separate Islamic state in Mindanao since the 1970s that has claimed an estimated 150,000 lives.
President Benigno Aquino’s government and the MILF signed a preliminary deal in October outlining the broad terms for a peace treaty that would be signed before he ends his six-year term in 2016.
After the wealth-sharing deal, the negotiators are expected to move on to the nitty-gritty of how power will be shared between the national government and the Muslim self-rule area, and finally the disarmament of the MILF.
The previous week’s talks had been held amid deadly attacks by a splinter guerrilla group that left 15 people dead on Mindanao.
In the latest skirmishes on Saturday, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters killed two soldiers and lost five of their own after an ambush of a military truck led to a heavy firefight, the local military spokesman said.
Wider circle of responsibility
The negotiators acknowledged the participation of the Malaysian facilitator, the International Contact Group, the Third Party Monitoring Team, and the technical working groups of the parties.
“The Parties also extend their gratitude to the members of the ICG, namely Japan, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Turkey, the United Kingdom, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Conciliation Resources, Muhammadiyah, and The Asia Foundation,” the negotiators’ joint statement said.
The Malaysian facilitator is Tengku Dato’ Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed while the TPMT is a new group that participated in the talks for the first time in the 38th round in Kuala Lumpur.
“The TPMT is composed of Alistair MacDonald, former European Union ambassador to the Philippines, who joins in his personal capacity and serves as chair; Steven Rood, country representative of The Asia Foundation in the Philippines; Karen Tañada of Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute and Mindanao Solidarity Network, and Zainnudin Malang of Mindanao Human Rights Action Center. Turkey-based international NGO iHH Insani Yardim Vakfi or The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedom and Humanitarian Relief Vice President Omer Kesmen will complete the five-man TPMT,” the OPAPP said on its website.
Last Tuesday, Coronel-Ferrer said, “the Annexes will design the rooms with the basic rudiments for dignified and harmonious governance. These rooms shall be livable. Under good hands, they will nurture leaders who will continue to strengthen the foundations, dream new dreams, and change the lives of the whole neighborhood.”
Iqbal, for his part, said he believes the negotiators are committed to apply “creative” ways to address differences between the panels’ positions as they work out the peace agreement’s annexes.
“As a negotiator for more than 10 years, I have learned a lot of hard lessons. My experience tells me that there are no easy parts of any real life negotiations. For this reason, I know that the road ahead of the current peace talks is still full of humps and bumps, but this is no reason to cause the failure of these talks. Sincere and committed partners in peace process will always find creative formula to get through any differences,” Iqbal said. — with Agence France-Presse/ ELR, GMA News
