Gov't working to break impasse with MILF - Palace

From ABS-CBN (Jun 16): Gov't working to break impasse with MILF - Palace

Malacanang assured on Sunday that all is well in the talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and any impasse will be settled.

In an interview with radio dzRB, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the government understands the misgivings of the MILF but “rest assured that the two panels are working with each other on these issues.”

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on Sunday that peace talks between the secessionist group and the government is at a stalemate. Quoting MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, the newspaper reported that the group is already “frustrated” with the slow pace of the negotiations.

But Valte said this is understandable since the two groups are working on the annexes of the agreement, which is the “heaviest” portion of the talks. The economic debate is usually included here.

“We don’t want a repeat of the [Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain or MOA-AD]. They are now studying the annexes, and I’m sure the content will pass muster,” she said.

Under the mothballed MOA-AD, the Moro homeland will be called the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity and will include the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Sulu, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and Marawi City); six municipalities in Lanao del Norte; hundreds of villages in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato, and parts of Palawan.

The proposal was met with protests until it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/16/13/govt-working-break-impasse-milf-palace