Gov’t, MILF to resume talks in KL today

From the MILF Website (Jan 21): Gov’t, MILF to resume talks in KL today

Government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace negotiators will start their 35th Exploratory Talks in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur today with the four Annexes on Power-sharing, Wealth-sharing, Transitional Arrangement and Modalities, Normalization as their focus of discussion. The meeting will end on January 25.

Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel secretariat, told Luwaran in an interview that the two parties will try to settle at least two of the Annexes, namely Transitional Arrangement and Modalities and Power-sharing. He said the transitional arrangement is 99% finished, with the parties still stuck on which will lead the Transition Authority (TA). The MILF wants the TA to be MILF-led, while the government pushes it to be led by Bangsamoro. He disclosed power-sharing is 97% settled, but added that the remaining unsettled issues are very hard to resolve, which he did not clarify nor provide details.

Mantawil also said the parties will discuss the fate of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) whose current mandate will end in March this year. Asked whether, the two parties will give the IMT another shot in the arm by giving another one year mandate, he responded in the positive. “I am sure the IMT’s tour of duty will be extended,” he said without elaborating.

The MILF’s 24-man peace delegation will be headed by Mohagher Iqbal. He was accompanied, among others, by Abhoud Syed Lingga, Maulana Bobby Alonto, Abdulla Camlian, and Datu Antonio Kinoc. The MILF peace panel secretariat, headed by Jun Mantawil, also joined the MILF delegation.

On the government side, Prof. Miriam Ferrer-Coronel led its delegation. She is joined in, according to report, by Secretary Senen Bacani, Bai Yasmin Busran-Lao, and Lawyer Mehol Sadain. However, Prof. Hamid Barra will not be part of the government peace delegation. Unconfirmed report said that he resigned from government peace panel for reason not yet known.

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