ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 13, 2012) – Peace talks between the Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels have resumed on Monday in Malaysia, which is brokering the negotiations.
The three-day talks are expected to discuss a government proposal for an expanded Muslim autonomy in Mindanao where the MILF is fighting for self-determination. The MILF has demanded the establishment of a sub-state in the restive region.
In January, both peace panels ended talks with both sides agreeing on some substantive issues – the concept of governance and the listing of reserved powers of the national government as contained in their respective draft.
The MILF, now the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, has expressed optimism that the negotiations would resolve the “stickiest points.” It said during the January peace talks, the issues that prominently preoccupied the negotiators were issues on power-sharing, wealth-sharing, and interim mechanism.
“They managed to come to understanding, short of a formal decision, on the powers exclusively exercised by the central government, but they lacked time to deal on powers which are concurrent to the central government and state government, and powers to be exercised by the state government. They, however, intensely discussed the interim arrangement for several hours, but it proved to be a very difficult nut to crack. Their respective roadmaps have many things in common but they differed substantially on timeframes and the need for mechanism that would ensure perpetuity of the agreement,” it said.
Chief government peace negotiator Marvic Leonen said the government wanted to sign a peace deal with the MILF so it can pursue peace and development efforts in Mindanao.
“The legacy that all of us in this room wish to participate in is to facilitate an agreement that will not only make peace possible, it is also an agreement that should bring in the possibility of making peace permanent.”
“To do this, we have to acknowledge what is real, what is practicable under the circumstances; hence to build foundations within present grounds inspired with our most passionate ideals,” Leonen said in Malaysia.
“We propose that in this round of talks, we focus once more on the substantive issues and explore common grounds. We acknowledge that the issues that we tackle now are the more difficult ones but we are optimistic that we can find mutually viable solutions. Let us redouble our efforts to conclude these negotiations in the soonest possible time,” he added. (Mindanao Examiner)
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