COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 13, 2013) – Philippines and Moro National Liberation Front rebels ended peace talks in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday without a substantial agreement.
But peace negotiators claimed to have made progress on the remaining annexes on power-sharing and normalization.
In a joint statement, the peace panels headed by Miriam Ferrer for the government side, and Mohagher Iqbal, for the MILF, said: “The remaining challenges and the time constraints demand that the peace panels remain focused on completing the annexes following a break for Eid al-Adha. Both sides have a full understanding of their responsibility as they strive towards a sustainable and inclusive solution for the benefit of all people in the Bangsamoro.”
Eid al-Adha is an Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to follow Allah’s command to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Muslims around the world observe this event.
Iqbal said on the MILF website that power-sharing represents the heart of the negotiations since it contains the list of powers reserved for the central government, powers exclusive to the envisioned Bangsamoro government, and concurrent or shared powers between the two.
Last year, the peace panels signed the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement which would pave the way for the Muslim homeland. Under the accord, the Bangsamoro government would take a ministerial form, where members of the legislature who would be elected by the people and in return they would elect a chief minister among themselves.
Peace negotiators agreed to meet again after the Muslim holiday. Iqbal said the delay is impeding the working timeline of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, the body tasked to draft the Basic Law. (Mindanao Examiner)
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