Peace talks between the Philippine government and Muslim rebels will resume on July 8 in
The talks will be held even though they coincide with the
Muslim month of Ramadan which may require fasting by Muslim participants, said
Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF's vice-chairman for political affairs.
"Because it is so important, both parties decided to
hold the talks even on Ramadan," he told AFP.
The talks will likely last for 5 days, he added.
Government negotiators could not be contacted for comment.
However, earlier this month, members of the government peace panel said they
hoped to resume talks with the MILF in early July.
Both panels will attempt to break the
deadlock over contentious issues on wealth-sharing and power-sharing when
they return to the negotiating table.
In October, the two sides signed the Framework Agreement which set the stage for the creation of
the new Bangsamoro political entity. It is envisioned to replace the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao.
2016 deadline
The MILF wants to finish the peace process by 2016 before
President Benigno Aquino III steps down from office.
However, only one out of the 4 annexes needed to complete
the comprehensive peace pact has so far been signed the annex on transitional arrangements and modalities. Yet to
be completed are the annexes on wealth-sharing, power-sharing and
normalization, which contains other contentious issues such as policing and
decommissioning.
To make up for lost time following the stalled talks, the
Transition Commission — the team tasked to draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law — has
started working on the logistical requirements of the organization.
The 12,000-member MILF has waged a guerrilla war for a
separate Islamic state in Mindanao since the
1970s that has claimed an estimated 150,000 lives.
The group has since agreed to a ceasefire and to negotiate
for autonomy instead. Although sporadic clashes have since taken place, the
truce has largely held.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.