Resumption of talks with MILF in Malaysia postponed

From InterAksyon (Mar 26): Resumption of talks with MILF in Malaysia postponed

Hours after saying peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front remain on track despite the ongoing Sabah crisis, Mr. Aquino inexplicably sought a deferment of the scheduled resumption of the 37th round of talks for a final peace accord.

The Sabah standoff began Feb. 12 between Malaysian forces and supporters of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. The sultanate set out to reclaim its “homeland,” the resource-rich territory that is now part of the Malaysian Federation even though it remains the subject of annual rental payments by KL to the sultanate.

The government and the MILF were scheduled to resume negotiations in Kuala Lumpur today, March 25.

But late Monday afternoon, the office of the presidential peace process said that President Aquino sought the cancellation.

"The President has requested that the 37th round of formal exploratory talks that was originally scheduled to begin March 25, be reset to April next month," presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles said in a statement released Monday afternoon.

Government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel Ferrer, together with panel members Yasmin Lao and Senen Bacani, are in Kuala Lumpur "to personally convey the request and to set with their counterparts the new date for the talks."

Deles said the Ferrer and MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, "will likewise discuss the preparations being undertaken for the Transition Commission."

In a joint statement, later in the day, the MILF and the Philippine government said a special meeting was held between the negotiating parties in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, March 25, which was called “in lieu of the 37th round of Formal Exploratory Talks upon the request of the Government.”

During the special meeting, the parties discussed the composition of the third party monitoring team and the independent commission on policing.

They also talked about the the convening of the Transition Commission in the first week of April 2013, and the Terms of Reference of the Task Force Sajahatra Bangsamoro.

“The parties agreed to meet in the second week of April 2013 for the 37th round of Formal Peace Talks,” the statement said.

Earlier Monday, Mr. Aquino said in an interview aired over state-run Radyo ng Bayan, "I think we’ve been very transparent. (My marching orders) haven’t changed. We want to finish all of the annexes. But we also have to be able to come to an understanding on these annexes, so that the crafting of the new organic act will be something that all stakeholders can agree to and rally behind on."

He said the Sabah issue should not affect the ongoing talks with the MILF.

In an interview over the weekend with state-run Philippines News Agency, MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said the parties expect to tackle the annexes on power and wealth sharing and normalization during this week's round of talks.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/57940/resumption-of-talks-with-milf-in-malaysia-postponed