MILF, govt claim gains in latest round of peace talks in Malaysia

Peace negotiators of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Sunday claimed substantive gains in their latest round of talks in Malaysia.

The MILF said Sunday the 31st round of exploratory talks ended successfully in Kuala Lumpur, under the facilitation of Malaysia.

“We have adopted several approaches ranging from plenary, executive and one-on-one panel meetings to technical working groups in our desire to achieve more consensus points,” MILF peace panel head Mohagher Iqbal said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said President Benigno Aquino III and Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Tun Abdul Najib Razak had a “broad strokes” discussion on the peace talks and other matters.

In a statement issued Saturday, government peace talks panel chief Marvic Leonen said the negotiations were “definitely moving forward. By next meeting, we hope that we not only move forward but find a quantum leap in our negotiations.”

“There is some urgency in resolving our issues. Both sides are eager to implement. In the implementation we will discover more challenges in cooperation that could never have been envisioned with all the collective and considered foresights of our negotiating teams,” Leonen added.

‘Spoilers and pressure groups’

Iqbal admitted there are still some factors that may hinder the signing of a framework agreement for the establishment of a new political entity in place of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

He also warned of “various spoilers and pressure groups” and urged both sides to look at and examine their implications in the peace process.

Still, Iqbal said that while the talks were “tough, serious and exhaustive,” there was also “mutual trust, sincerity and cordiality” to address sensitive issues.

He added both parties had settled many issues during the previous peace talks, allowing their respective technical working groups to move fast.

The MILF said both parties and their respective TWGs will meet again before the end of September 2012 to discuss unresolved issues.

It added the four-day meeting successfully worked towards the crafting of a framework agreement.

The respective TWGs of both sides continued their discussions, “reached consensus on many issues and submitted preliminary reports which were duly noted by the Panels,” the MILF added. — ELR, GMA News