Jaafar: MILF may reject proposed changes to wealth-sharing annex

From GMA News (Jun 17): Jaafar: MILF may reject proposed changes to wealth-sharing annex

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is likely to thumb down changes on the wealth-sharing annex being proposed by the government, a senior leader of the group said Monday.

According to Ghadzali Jaafar, the MILF's vice chairman for political affairs, the government has proposed several changes from the previously discussed and initialed agreement, and that these changes will be the subject of an upcoming meeting among members of the MILF Central Committee.

“There is a proposal from the government to change some items in the previously discussed and initialed agreement,” Jaafar said without elaborating. "This will be discussed by the Central Committee and the Central Committee will make a decision about this after a meeting.”

However, this early, Jaafar said the government proposal “might not be accepted by the Central Committee.”

“It [agreement] was already signed, it was already initialed, why change it? It (has) gone through discussions already,” Jaafar said by phone.

The meeting will be held either Monday or Tuesday, Jaafar said.

The MILF had earlier accused the government of delaying the signing of the peace agreement after allegedly reneging on its commitment to meet with MILF negotiators immediately after the May 10 elections and for proposing changes in the wealth-sharing agreement.

Last October, the government and the MILF signed a landmark framework agreement that would pave the way for the creation of a Bangsamoro territory to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/313238/news/nation/jaafar-milf-may-reject-proposed-changes-to-wealth-sharing-annex