35th round exploratory talks in KL ends with signing of TOR for TPMT

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 26): 35th round exploratory talks in KL ends with signing of TOR for TPMT

The 35th round of formal exploratory talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Kuala Lumpur ended with the signing of the Terms of Reference (TOR) for Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT). This is the body that will review, assess, evaluate and monitor the implementation of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro and its Annexes.

The TPMT, whose members will be identified within one month, will be composed of representatives from local and international non-government organizations to be nominated by the GPH and the MILF, officials in Manila said Saturday. It will continue to function until an Exit Agreement between the two parties is reached.

“The Parties also agreed to extend the respective tours of duty of the International Monitoring Team and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group for another year in recognition of their important roles in the peace process, without prejudice to adjustments that may be needed pursuant to developments in the crafting of the Annexes to the FAB," the parties said in their joint statement obtained by the Philippines News Agency.

The Philippine government's peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the four Technical Working Groups have “arrived at good compromises on many of the remaining issues,” stressing that these tangible results were reaped six months after the panels formed their first two TWGs in August 2012.

Before the talks closed, the working drafts produced by the TWGs on the Annexes on Wealth-Sharing, Power-sharing, Normalization, and Transitional Arrangements and Modalities were reported to the panels for discussion and referral to their respective principals.

In all, Coronel-Ferrer said the talks had been very challenging but the two parties “have a clearer process now, and a more definitive estimate of our time frames to complete the comprehensive agreement.”

Sharing the same positive sentiment, MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal said that the panels are “moving towards the right direction.” “Hopefully very soon we would be able to conclude our negotiations on the substantive issues,” he stated. “I think, for now, the light at the end of the tunnel is no longer flickering, it’s very clear. And the continued commitment and decisiveness of all the parties, I think, God willing, we will be able to finish the process.”

Iqbal expressed the MILF’s determination to arrive at a comprehensive agreement with the government despite the challenges. “We are not entertaining any failure in these negotiations. Our minds, our hearts are focused that we must be able to conclude this process successfully,” he added.

“Lastly, I would like to appeal to both sides – the GPH panel and the MILF panel – to start due diligence from the moment we return to our respective places and be able to report to our respective principals,” he added.

For his part, Malaysian facilitator Tengku Dato’ Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohammed said both sides were able to achieve “a great step forward.” “Initially, we are a bit pessimistic because of the slowness of the progress especially on the working groups. But as it turned out I think the working groups are moving fast, especially in the last two days to the conclusion of the agreement,” he stated.

Reporting on the progress of the discussions on the annexes, Ghafar said that three more items need to be completed on Wealth-sharing and two more on Power-sharing. The draft Transitional Arrangements and Modalities annex has already been completed by the TWG and received by the Panels for final review of their principals.

Ghafar thanked the Philippine government for delivering its first political commitment as stated in the FAB, the creation of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission through the passage of Executive Order 120 . Last December, President Benigno Aquino III issued EO 120 creating the TC that will draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law to replace the Organic Act that created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The House of Representativesand the Senate issued their respective resolutions of support to the EO.

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