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| Southeast Asia |
| Possible final round of Philippine-MILF peace talks begin |
| 2014-01-23 |
| The Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) began on Wednesday what may be the final round of negotiations between the two panels if they can come to an agreement on the last annex that would make up a comprehensive peace agreement ending decades of warfare in Central Mindanao. The peace agreement with the MILF is a cornerstone of the Aquino administration, and the Moro militants themselves have said they want a peace deal before President Aquino completes his term in June 2016. In his opening statement, MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said, “It is not farfetched that during this five-day session, we will be able to settle all the remaining outstanding issues on the Bangsamoro Waters and Annex on Normalization that block our way to conclude the talks and eventually sign the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) very soon." But Iqbal remained cautious. He said that even as a comprehensive peace agreement was signed, it is the “Exit Agreement that will formally terminate this negotiation.” “(It) will only happen if the two parties satisfactorily complied with their part of the deal; in addition, not until after the Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) and the two parties and the Malaysian facilitator finally certify that both parties have fully complied with their obligations in the negotiation,” he said. Government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said, “Foremost expectation is the end to the armed conflicts in Muslim Mindanao, and a halt to the recurrence of violence involving the various armed groups,” she said, adding that this was also the expectation of areas surrounding the Bangsamoro such as Zamboanga City and the rest of the Zamboanga peninsula, North Cotabato, and Lanao del Norte. “We take special note of Zamboanga City which has yet to fully recover from the trauma resulting from the siege launched by a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front. In this regard, we ask the MILF leadership to ensure that their ranks refrain from any provocative acts that generate distrust among the populace,” she said. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #2 It isn't. Methinks they're counting on the MILF to enforce the peace. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2014-01-23 16:08 |
| #1 How is the Mindanao Muslim insurgency ended iff neither the MNLF-BIFF nor the pro-Qaeda ABU SAYYAF, etc. are NOT at the peace table??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2014-01-23 01:14 |